


Begin Again

by mb_stortroen1832



Series: Love and Family [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Don't copy to another site, Enjolras/Grantaire-centric, Enjolras/Grantaire-family centric, Family Fluff, Grantaire's Parents Are Assholes, Implied Sexual Content, Kid Fic, M/M, More Tags Would Spoil The Story, Mutual Pining, Romance, Trans Grantaire, Trans Male Character, Trans Male Pregnancy, Transphobia, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-05-28 16:52:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 91,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19398370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mb_stortroen1832/pseuds/mb_stortroen1832
Summary: On the night of their high school graduation, Grantaire and Enjolras let their love for one another take over resulting in Grantaire getting pregnant with Enjolras' child. But before he could tell Enjolras, his parents found out, and they threatened to take the child away after it was born. So, in order to protect the life of their unborn child, Grantaire chose not to tell Enjolras, and decided to leave New York City without saying goodbye to him.Now, six years later, Grantaire returns home, with their five-year old son, Casey, in tow.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, I went back and forth about whether or not this was going to be a story that I was going to write. But the plot of this story was one that got stuck in my brain, and I knew that it wouldn't leave until I wrote it. And I'm so glad that I did write it. I consider this story my baby and it's one of my favorites that I've ever written. I hope that you love it as much as I do.
> 
> The format of this story is a little different than most. Starting with chapter one, the first half/quarter of each chapter (with the exception of chapters five, six, and 33) takes place sometime in the six year period that Grantaire is gone. Then, the chapter will jump to the present. You'll see what I mean when the first chapter is posted.
> 
> And as usual, updates will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with two chapters each update. I must warn you to not expect consistency with time for updates. I’ll probably will be updating when I have time.
> 
> The Mature rating is for safety because it doesn’t deserve an E rating, but I thought that a T rating was too low.
> 
> All spelling/grammar mistakes are my own.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own _Les Misérables_ , or its characters. I only own the plot and the adorable character that is Casey.

_J_ _une 2011_

Grantaire shut the bathroom door. He locked it before moving toward the bathroom sink. He set the grocery bag in his hand on the counter to take the contents out. Three unused pregnancy tests of different brands and varieties. Grantaire needed to be sure. He opened the first and read the directions.

After about three hours or so, he stood in front of the mirror, looking down at three positive pregnancy tests. Grantaire felt all sorts of emotions as he processed what this meant.

He was pregnant. With Enjolras' child.

Enjolras, who was his boyfriend and loved him and would do anything for him. Enjolras, who had wanted to stay by his side when he came down sick five days ago. Enjolras, who was in Chicago right now, instead of New York, for his grandfather (his father's father), Casey's funeral.

But this was too early. They were having a baby too early.

They had just graduated high school. Enjolras would be attending Columbia while Grantaire went to New York University in the fall.

They weren't even married yet. Let alone engaged.

Grantaire found himself thinking back to when this could have possibly happened. They had both been too busy to even think about sex for the last few weeks, but one of the pregnancy tests had said that he was about four to five weeks pregnant. He had asked Joly earlier that day how many weeks it had been since graduation, which had been about the same time, so it had to have been around that weekend.

But how?

They had always been so careful, but as Grantaire thought about it he had realized that the night they had arrived in the Hamptons, they had been so desperate for each other that using protection had been the farthest thing from their minds.

Grantaire placed his hand on his belly and smiled. He was pregnant with Enjolras' child. He was absolutely terrified, but he also couldn't help the happiness and excitement that slipped through. This child was a symbol of the love that they shared. Sure, it was too early, but they had always talked about having children. They had been together since about half way through their freshmen year of high school.

When they had first encountered each other on the first day of school in American Government class. Grantaire had been struck by Enjolras' beauty right away, but had been nervous to even approach him, so he had admired him from afar. Until he had worked up the courage to at least say hi, and Grantaire was soon included in Enjolras' friend group. Then, as the year went on, they developed a close friendship, despite Grantaire disagreeing with everything that Enjolras believed in. As they grew closer, Grantaire soon started to develop feelings for Enjolras, but he knew that in order to have an honest relationship with Enjolras, he would need to come out to him. But on the day that he did come out, Enjolras had kissed him and told him that he had feelings for him too. As their romantic relationship grew, Grantaire let Enjolras into his life in a way he had let no one else in before, and in the three and half years that they had been together, they had gone through so much shit, but they always went through it together.

And that was how Grantaire knew that they could do it. They could have a baby and still go to college because they would do it together.

But what about his parents?

Grantaire shuttered at the thought of his parents.

Enjolras' parents loved and accepted him. Apart from Enjolras and their other friends, they had been the first people that he had come out to. They were the kind and loving parents that he had always wanted, but never had. Enjolras' parents, he knew, would accept their grandchild with no questions asked. They may be a little disappointed that it was happening too soon, but they would still love the child.

His parents, on the other hand, would not be so welcoming. They hated Enjolras when Enjolras had been nothing, but nice to them. They hated him mostly because they believed that it was Enjolras that made their precious daughter believe that she was a man. Theirs words, not his. But Grantaire had always been trans. He had known it since he had been about six. Enjolras had played no part in it. Enjolras hadn't even been the first person that he had come out too. The people that he had first come out to were Joly, Bossuet, Musichetta, and Jehan. His four best friends since grade school. His parents just couldn't see past the end of their noses and were incredibly small minded. They hated Enjolras, they hated him, and in turn, they would hate their grandchild.

But at that moment, he didn't care about anything except their child and how badly he wanted to tell Enjolras.

He decided that he was going to wait until Enjolras returned from Chicago to tell him. This wasn't something you told someone over the phone.

Grantaire quickly disposed of all, but one of the pregnancy tests, and the boxes they had come in. He walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed. Just staring at the test in his hand and the little plus sign.

Then, he heard the door slam shut. It was the housekeeper with that week's groceries.

He quickly put the test underneath his pillow before leaving his bedroom to go and help her. Leaving the pregnancy test to be looked at later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.
> 
> Blog: [The Chief and His Cynic](https://thechiefandhiscynic.blogspot.com/)  
> Tumblr: [ilovemybarricadebabies](https://ilovemybarricadebabies.tumblr.com/)


	2. One

_June 2011_

In the evening that Grantaire learned that he was pregnant, he laid on his bed, in the darkness of his room. His parents were already fast asleep. He wanted to sleep, but he was anxiously awaiting Enjolras' call.

His boyfriend had texted him around eight to tell him that he and his parents were on their way to the airport and that he'd call when he was sitting at the gate. Their flight home from Chicago didn't leave until 11:55 P.M Chicago time, and didn't get in until almost 2:30 A.M New York time. It was just a little before 11:30 P.M in New York.

When Enjolras called, Grantaire was going to tell him that they needed to talk. He knew that Enjolras would want to go to bed the moment that he got home, so Grantaire was just going to ask him to text him when he got up and he'd come over.

He was very anxious to tell Enjolras about his pregnancy, even though he knew that Enjolras would be ecstatic. He was just nervous because it was too early and they were only 18. Grantaire was terrified that someday the love of his life would cast him and their child out of his life – and no, Grantaire would not think of that possibility. Enjolras loved him, and before he thought about any worst-case scenarios, he still needed to tell him.

Grantaire's hand fell to his belly. He had found himself doing that more since he took the tests. It had been extremely difficult during dinner with his parents to not touch his belly, so that he didn't give anything away. Grantaire was determined that the next person to find out about his pregnancy was the other father of his baby.

All of sudden, his phone started vibrating, and Grantaire smiled when he looked at the caller ID. It said "My Love ♥️" with a picture of him kissing Enjolras' cheek, and his boyfriend looking down and blushing. He slid his finger over to answer and held the phone over his ear.

"Hey, baby. I take it you're sitting at the gate?" Grantaire asked with a light voice.

Enjolras replied. _"Yes, love, I am. My parents say hi."_

Grantaire chuckled. "I say hi back." He heard his love tell his parents hi from him. "I want you home, baby."

 _"I know, love. I want to be home, too. I felt terrible for leaving you when you weren't feeling good. Speaking of, how are you doing?"_ Enjolras asked.

"I'm doing fine. Didn't throw up at all today." Grantaire told his love. "I miss you."

 _"I miss you, too, but soon I will be home."_ Enjolras assured.

Grantaire could feel the tears well in his eyes as he reached behind his pillow for the pregnancy test. "Good, because when you get home, we need to talk."

 _"Love, is something wrong?"_ Enjolras asked. Grantaire could hear the concern in his voice.

"No, nothing's wrong. There's just something that we need to talk about." Grantaire said. "So, since I know that when you get home, you'll want to go right to bed, but when you wake up, do you want to text me and I'll come over?"

 _"Sure, my love. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"_ Enjolras asked.

Grantaire rolled his eyes. That was his boyfriend. Always being a worry wart when it came to him. "Yes, love, I'm sure."

The conversation carried on for a few minutes longer until Grantaire heard the PA system at the airport say that boarding for Enjolras' flight would be starting soon.

 _"Well, love, we'll be boarding soon, so I should probably go."_ Enjolras said.

"Okay, 'Jolras. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

 _"I love you, too."_ Enjolras made a kiss noise into the speaker. Once Grantaire returned it, Enjolras hung up.

Grantaire placed his phone back down on his bedside table. He continued looking at the pregnancy test before placing it back underneath his pillow.

"I know you're still very small, but I love you already." He said, rubbing his belly. "And I know your daddy will love you just as much as I do."

Grantaire closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

**_August 2017_ **

Grantaire finished carrying in the last of the boxes from the hallway into their apartment. He set it down before turning his attention to his five-year old son, Casey, who was sitting on the floor with a coloring book open. Casey was making little humming sounds as he colored. Grantaire smiled at him before opening one of the boxes. As long as Casey was distracted, Grantaire would be able to put away what he could.

They had just moved back from Syosset, New York. The place where his grandmother, Clara, and aunt, Aimee, had lived.

Clara was 63, his father's mother. His grandfather, René, had died eight years ago, and ever since then, his aunt had lived with his grandmother to help her around the house.

They had moved back to New York City for Grantaire's job. The owner of the art gallery, Mr. Landry, in Syosset that he had been working for had given him the position of art director to help put together their new gallery that was opening in the city. It paid excellent money, so Grantaire couldn't pass up the offer. So, when he moved, Aimee and Clara moved with him, so they'd be able to watch Casey when Grantaire needed them too.

Returning to New York after six years, had been terrifying for Grantaire. Especially since now he would have to go to a Les Amis meeting to talk to Enjolras and tell him that he had a son. Grantaire was absolutely petrified at the thought of telling Enjolras about Casey, but he would go through with it, no matter what. Casey needed to know his father, and Enjolras needed to know his son.

As Grantaire put things away in the kitchen, Clara and Aimee entered the apartment.

"How are you settling in?" Clara asked.

"Good." Grantaire finished putting the plates in one of the cupboards.

"Grandma!" Casey screamed, excitedly, as if it had been twenty years since he had last seen her, not three hours ago when they had helped them move into their apartment. He ran towards Clara, who bent down to hug him.

"How's my little boy?" Clara asked.

Casey smiled. "Great. This place has so many big buildings and lots of people. I don't like the noise, though."

Something that gave away that Casey was Enjolras' son was by how well-developed his speech was.

"Yes, it is. So, while you are here, you must not go anywhere without your papa, me, or Auntie Aimee, do you understand?" Clara asked, sternly.

Casey nodded. "I understand, Grandma."

"Good." Clara ruffled the little boy's golden curls before reaching into her pocket and handing him a Tootsie Roll.

Grantaire noticed and looked at his grandmother with a stern look. Casey had Aimee's help in opening it up for him before he ate the piece of candy and went back to coloring.

"Casey, what do you say?" Grantaire reminded.

"Thank you, Grandma." Casey said as he picked up a crayon.

Grantaire satisfied turned back to Clara and said, "You spoil him."

"I'm his grandma. It's what I'm supposed to do." Clara told him.

Grantaire shook his head with an affectionate smile before turning back to his task at hand.

"Hey. Why don't you take a break for a while and come out to dinner with us?" Aimee asked.

"I can't. I have to finish this."

"You have a few days to finish unpacking before your job starts. You can spare a night with us." Aimee crossed her arms, looking at her nephew with a stern look.

Grantaire looked at his aunt and sighed. "Fine. Let me go get Casey washed up." He left the kitchen and walked toward his son. "Casey, come on, let's go get washed up for dinner."

"Okay, Papa." Casey said. He stood up and placed his hand in Grantaire's as they walked to the bathroom.

Grantaire placed Casey on the sink, so that he could help him wash his hands. When the washing was done, he grabbed a towel to help him dry his hands.

"Papa, is this the city where you met my daddy?" Casey asked him. The innocence of the question made Grantaire's heart twist.

As Casey grew up, Grantaire made sure to tell Casey about why he called him Papa, instead of Mama, even though Grantaire was the one who had given birth to him. He had also made sure to tell Casey about Enjolras. Stories about how they met, their relationship, and an explanation as to why Enjolras couldn't be in his life. Ever since that explanation, Casey had this notion that Enjolras was a superhero and was off saving the world and that's why he couldn't be with him.

It killed Grantaire to look into those trusting big blue eyes every day when Casey asked him if that day would be the day that his daddy came home, and Grantaire would be breaking his tiny heart by saying no.

Casey loved his daddy so much already that Grantaire knew that if Enjolras rejected him when he met him, his son would be inconsolable for days. That was the reason why Grantaire prayed that Enjolras would understand why he had left.

"Yes, little bug, this is the city where I met your daddy." Grantaire grabbed a comb to try and tidy up Casey's curls.

The little bug nickname had been what he had called Casey during his pregnancy, and after he was born, the name just stuck.

"So, does that mean that Daddy will be coming home soon? Now that you've returned?" Casey asked, looking at his papa through the mirror.

"I'm not sure, little bug. We're going to have to wait and see." Grantaire replied. And there it was. The small pout that appeared every time he had to disappoint his son when it came to Enjolras. "Little bug, listen to me." He turned Casey, so that he was facing him. "Your daddy loves you. He may not be able to be with us, but he does.

"You really think so?" The light had returned to Casey's eyes with the question.

Grantaire nodded, "I really do, but you know who else loves you. So very, very much."

"You!" Casey said with a gigantic smile on his face.

"That's right, little bug." Grantaire said, not being able to contain his smile. "I do."

"You want to know how much I love you, Papa." Casey exclaimed.

"How much?" Grantaire asked, playing along with him.

Casey held out his little arms as far as they would go. "This much!" Casey squealed.

Grantaire laughed with his son before pulling him into a hug. Casey wrapped his arms around his papa, tightly. Grantaire lifted him off the counter and carried him out of the bathroom and down the hallway towards Aimee and Clara. He set Casey down to help him put on his jacket. Once they were both ready to go, Grantaire picked him up again.

They all left the apartment to head out to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you again on Monday for chapters two and three. It's going to be a long ride.


	3. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say how thankful I am with the response this story has received so far? Because I really am. I hope that you all continue to enjoy it as the journey continues!
> 
> Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything, but the plot and Casey. Spelling/grammar mistakes are my own.

_June 2011_

Grantaire woke up the next morning to a message from Enjolras saying that they had landed safe and sound, that he'd text him when he woke up, and that he loved him. Grantaire decided that he would stay in his room until he got another message from Enjolras. He spent his time reading or playing on his phone. Anything as long as parents left him alone.

Finally around two in the afternoon, he received a text from Enjolras that he was awake. Grantaire quickly fixed himself up before running down the stairs of the penthouse. But when he got to the bottom, he saw his parents standing there, looking angry with their arms crossed.

"Going somewhere, Renée?" His father, Augustin, asked.

Just hearing the use of his dead name made him stop. "For the last time, my name is not Renée. It's Nicolas. And yes, I'm going somewhere. I'm going to see my boyfriend." He walked past them toward the door.

"Oh, to go and tell him about this?" His mother, Jacqueline, uncrossed her arms and held up one of the pregnancy tests.

Grantaire ran to grab it from her. "How did you – Alice!"

Alice, the housekeeper, always took the trash out before she left for the day. She must have found the tests when she was dumping them into a bigger trash bag.

"She had no right, telling you–" Grantaire was cut off.

"On the contrary, she works for us. She tells us about the things she finds in our daughter's bathroom." Jacqueline said.

Grantaire sighed in frustration. "I'm not your daughter. I am your son."

His parents looked at him with disappointed eyes. "And that is exactly why we believe that you are unfit to be a parent." Augustin said.

"You have this delusion that you're a man when you're so clearly a woman." Jacqueline sneered.

Grantaire glared at his parents. "Is that a threat?"

"Yes. You have this baby, and we'll declare you and Enjolras unfit parents." Augustin warned.

"Why Enjolras? Is it because you hate him? You believe he made me this way. Newsflash, I have been trans since well before he ever came into my life. So, leave Enjolras out of this." Grantaire said.

"No. We will do everything in our power to take that child away from you two." Jacqueline said, "You don't deserve to have that child. So, the day that it is born, social workers will come in and take the baby away."

"You do anything to make it where the love of my life and I can't raise our child, and I will make hell rain down upon you." And with that, Grantaire turned and walked out of the door.

His feet carried him in the direction of Enjolras', but soon he started thinking about his parent's threat. His parents had ways of making sure that he and Enjolras weren't able to raise their baby. Grantaire couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen.

Grantaire could go to Enjolras' parents since they had more power in New York City than his own parents did, but what if they agreed? After all, he and Enjolras had broken the promise of never having unprotected sex until they were out of college. In the back of Grantaire's mind, he knew that they never would agree, but what if they _did_? He and Enjolras would lose their baby. They couldn't lose a symbol of their love. They wouldn't. Not if Grantaire could help it.

In that moment, Grantaire knew he had to leave New York. And he had to do it without telling Enjolras about the baby. It broke his heart to think that Enjolras would never know they had a child, but in order to protect them, Grantaire would do it.

And if he was leaving New York that meant that he needed to delete all of his social media and his phone had to be disconnected to ensure that there was no way of tracking him. The chance of his parents worrying were slim to none. Hell, it would give them an excuse to finally leave New York like they had been wanting to for years.

So, he pulled out his phone to shoot a text to Enjolras.

**_Grantaire (2:54 P.M.): Hey, baby! I'll be there in about an hour. I have some errands I have to run. I love you! : )_ **

**_My Love ♥️ (2:55 P.M.): Okay. See you soon! Love you! XOXO!_ **

Grantaire turned around. His feet carrying him the subway that would take him as close to his regular Verizon store as possible. He was going to ask them if it would be possible for them to disconnect his phone at 6 A.M. the next morning.

He would spend one last night with Enjolras, but tomorrow morning he would be gone, and he had no idea when, or if, he'd ever return.

Grantaire already knew the place to go.

Syosset, New York.

His grandmother and aunt would help him out. And with his grandmother there, no one would dare try and take his baby.

***

When everything was arranged at the Verizon store, Grantaire sent a quick text to Enjolras that he was on his way. After about another 15 minutes, he arrived at his boyfriend's penthouse. When he got off the elevator, Enjolras' mother, Isabelle, greeted and kissed him on the cheek.

"He's in his room. You can go on up." Isabelle smiled. Then, she walked back into the living room.

"Thanks." Grantaire smiled at her before he made his way across the penthouse to the stairs.

When he got upstairs, Grantaire walked the distance to his boyfriend's bedroom. He didn't bother knocking, he just walked right in. Grantaire walked in to see that Enjolras was sitting on the window seat with a book in his lap, but he wasn't reading. Instead, he was looking out over the city.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Grantaire said to get his attention.

Enjolras whipped his head around. He smiled as he stood up and walked over to him. "Love. God, I missed you!" He wrapped his arms tightly around Grantaire.

"Hey, baby. I missed you, too." Grantaire whispered into his boyfriend's ear.

Enjolras pulled away to cup Grantaire's face. "I love you."

Grantaire could feel the tears burning at the back of his eyes as he replied, "I love you, too, so much."

And then, Enjolras was kissing him as he backed them up toward his bed.

***

Afterward, they laid under the covers. Naked and sweaty, but sated. Enjolras was resting his head against his elbow as he played with Grantaire's hand.

"You said that there was something that you needed to talk to me about?" Enjolras asked. His fingers threading themselves in between Grantaire's.

"I did, but it's not important anymore." The words broke Grantaire's heart. No matter how badly he wanted to tell his boyfriend about their baby, he couldn't.

Enjolras looked at him, a puzzled look on his face. "Somehow I don't believe you."

"I promise that everything is fine." Grantaire was betrayed by a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Enjolras looked at him, concerned. He wiped the tear from his love's face. "If nothing's wrong, then why are you crying?"

"I just really missed you." He said through his tears.

Enjolras pulled him into a hug. "Oh, love, I really missed you, too." He attempted to soothe his boyfriend's crying.

"Hold me. Please, just hold me." Grantaire pulled out of the hug to say.

Enjolras nodded.

They laid back down. Grantaire's back against Enjolras' chest. Enjolras wrapped his arms around him. One of his hands resting flat against his belly. Right where their child was growing. Grantaire cried harder at the feeling as he knew that this would be the only time that he would feel Enjolras' hand on his belly for the rest of his pregnancy.

Enjolras just simply continued to try and soothe him. Oblivious to the true reason for why Grantaire was crying.

***

**_August 2017_ **

Grantaire and Casey had been living in their apartment for a few days. Everything was mostly put in its place, except for a few boxes that were filled with a bunch of knick knacks and Casey's old clothes that he had outgrew. Those boxes were sitting in the spare bedroom for the time being. The task at hand was now painting Casey's bedroom in the _Peter Pan_ /pirates theme that he had wanted.

Casey was curled up in Grantaire's bed with a stuffed blue bear named Bear (Casey had been only two when he named it) and his dinosaur footy pajamas. Grantaire was sitting on the bed, laptop on his lap with his fingers combing through his son's curls as he worked.

It was moments like this that Grantaire was reminded of how much Casey looked like Enjolras. He was the mirror image of him. Just shrunken down.

There was nothing that he regretted more in his life than not telling Enjolras, but what was he supposed to do? His parents had made it very clear what they would do. Grantaire had needed to protect their child. Granted, now he had Clara, who would never allow anyone to ever take his child away from him. If they tried, it would be one hell of a fight. Clara had also found out that his parents had left New York City, not long after he had.

But now, facing Enjolras was a whole other matter. Enjolras would be angry once he found out about why he had left, but he hoped that once he explained everything to Enjolras, he would understand why he had done it. Apart from Clara and Aimee, Enjolras was the only one who truly knew what his relationship with his parents had been like. Enjolras had witnessed his fair share of the abuse that his parents had put him through. But while Enjolras would hopefully understand, Grantaire knew that he would never be forgiven. And quite frankly, he didn't want to be forgiven for Enjolras had every right to be angry with him. He had kept a father from his child. How could he ever be forgiven for doing something like that?

It was because of him that Enjolras had missed out on everything. The first doctor's appointment, hearing the heartbeat, the first sonogram, deciding if they wanted to know the sex, the first kick, helping him pick out a name, the birth, and all of Casey's firsts. Enjolras had missed out on all of it. The only thing that would allow him to experience it would be through the baby book that Grantaire had made.

Casey started stirring next to him. There were very few instances that Grantaire allowed Casey to sleep with him. If it was storming or he had a bad dream were a few examples. But right now, since his son's room was filled with paint fumes, Grantaire was being lenient.

Grantaire looked down at Casey, who was rubbing his eyes. Bear was crunched underneath his elbow.

"Good morning, little bug." Grantaire said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

Casey yawned. "Good morning, Papa." He looked like he was about to fall asleep again causing Grantaire to chuckle. Another clue that he was Enjolras' son. He hated getting up in the mornings.

"You know that you can't fall asleep. You need to help Papa make breakfast." Grantaire said.

Casey's eyes snapped open. "Breakfast! Does the mean pancakes?"

"With lots of little sweet chocolate chips for my sweet little man? Yes, it does." Grantaire smiled before he start tickling Casey's sides. His son giggling wildly.

"Papa. Papa. Papa, stop it!" Casey said through his giggles. Grantaire stopped tickling him. After Casey was able to catch his breath from laughing so much, he crawled out of the bed with Bear and ran to the door. "Come on, Papa. It's breakfast time."

Grantaire shut his laptop and set it on his bedside table. He threw the covers off of his legs. He stood up and left his bedroom. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw that Casey had thrown Bear on the dining table and had pushed one of the dining chairs to one of the cupboards. He was reaching for the bag of flour on the top shelf. Grantaire ran to help him.

"Casey, you know that you're supposed to wait for me." Grantaire reprimanded. He placed the bag of flour on the counter.

Casey frowned as he looked up at Grantaire. "I'm sorry, Papa, but I just wanted to help."

Grantaire sighed. "I know, but you could have gotten hurt. And you getting hurt would make Papa incredibly sad."

"I don't want to make Papa sad because if Papa's sad, then I'm sad, too." Casey said.

Grantaire looked at his son with sad eyes. "I know. How about you go and grab the chocolate chips from the pantry over there." He helped Casey off the chair as he pointed to the pantry.

Casey walked over to the pantry and opened it. Grantaire had purposefully placed the chocolate chips on the lowest shelf, so that Casey could grab them easily.

Some people might call Grantaire overprotective, and maybe he was, but for six years, he had lived scared out of his mind that someone would take Casey from him. Not to mention that Casey was all that he had. It was Casey that kept him going every day. Not only that, but he was also a living reminder of Enjolras. Not just in looks, but Grantaire wouldn't have Casey, if not for Enjolras. So, if Grantaire was a little overprotective from time to time, who could blame him?"

Casey walked back over to place the chocolate chips on the counter. Then, Grantaire picked him up and sat him down on the counter. Grantaire put all the ingredients in a bowl before he let Casey help him stir. As Grantaire cooked the pancakes, Casey sat at the table, playing with Bear.

When the pancakes were done, he brought a plate of them over to Casey. Grantaire had also cooked a few strips of bacon and scrambled an egg. He cut the pancake and bacon into bite size pieces. He also poured his son a glass of apple juice before letting him eat.

As Casey ate, Grantaire cooked breakfast for himself. When he was done, he sat down next to Casey and they ate together, just like they did every morning. As they ate, Grantaire asked his son a question.

"Little bug, how about we spend the day together? Just us?"

Casey looked at his father, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, Papa!"

Grantaire ruffled his hair with a smile. "Okay."

When they were done with their breakfast, Grantaire went to go help Casey get dressed. He let Casey choose his clothes. He ended up choosing a t-shirt that had a cartoon pirate ship on the front, a pair of jeans, socks, and his favorite pair of tennis shoes. Once Casey was dressed, Grantaire hurried to get dressed himself.

Before they left the apartment, Grantaire helped Casey put on a light jacket. He saw that Casey still had Bear clutched in his hands. He bent down to be at eye level with him.

"How about we leave Bear at home? That way you don't risk losing him in the big city." Grantaire knew that if Casey lost Bear, it would be a fight to get him to bed.

Casey looked down at Bear before reluctantly handing him over to Grantaire. "Can we put him in a place where he won't be all alone?"

"Of course." Grantaire went to place Bear with Casey's other stuffed animals that were taking over the living room. "There he has friends to play with while we are out."

"Papa, can you take Lion away from Bear? They hit him the other day and Bear is still pretty upset with him." Casey said. Grantaire quickly moved the stuffed lion away from Bear.

"I thought Bear and Lion were best friends." Grantaire said as he walked back to his son.

"They were until Lion hit him."

"Oh, I see."

Grantaire opened the door, holding his hand out for Casey to take. Casey took his hand as they walked out the door and down to the elevator. They walked out onto the street of New York City, heading in the direction of the subway that would take them to Central Park.

They walked to Central Park after getting off the subway, Casey asked Grantaire questions about the people and the buildings in the big city. Grantaire did his best to answer each question. Casey smiled up at him as they entered the park. Grantaire led him around the park, making sure to go to places that he thought Casey would enjoy. He eventually took him to one of the many playgrounds inside of the park.

Grantaire watched Casey play on the playground equipment. After going down a slide one more time, Casey ran towards one of the open swings. Casey yelled for him. Grantaire walked over to push him.

As he and Casey enjoyed their day in the park, Grantaire started wondering if the Café Musain was where the Les Amis still held their meetings. It was time for Enjolras to know. Grantaire figured that a meeting gave him the best chance at seeing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how adorable is Casey?
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same as usual.

_June 2011_

Grantaire woke up around four in the morning, still wrapped in Enjolras' arms. He gently removed Enjolras' arms from his waist and crawled out of the bed. Once he was dressed, Grantaire leaned over Enjolras to press a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you, Enjolras. Don't ever forget that. I'm doing this to protect our baby. I hope one day you can understand that. You'll see me again, but I don't know when that will be." Grantaire whispered in his ear. "I will always love you."

He quietly opened the bedroom door, walked down the stairs, and left the apartment. Grantaire took a taxi back to his place. When he arrived home, his parents were fast asleep still. They wouldn't be up until well after seven, giving Grantaire plenty of time.

Grantaire walked up to his bedroom. He grabbed the suitcases from under his bed and starting throwing clothes inside them. He made sure to grab the cash that he had stashed under his bed, as well. Grantaire grabbed his laptop and put it in its bag. He grabbed a few of his favorite books. The photo album of his friends and Enjolras. The picture frame that held a picture of him and Enjolras inside that sat on his bedside table. Finally, he grabbed the pregnancy test from under his pillow. He threw everything into the suitcases and closed them up before walking downstairs with them.

Grantaire walked to the front door. He turned to give the penthouse one last glance. His hand found its way to the locket that was around his neck.

Enjolras had given him the locket for his 17th birthday. It was a circular locket with a small heart shaped diamond in the middle. The words _Amor Vincit Omnia_ around the heart. On the inside it held a picture of them where they had their arms wrapped around each other and foreheads pressed together. Even from the picture, you could see how much they loved each other.

Grantaire let his hand fall from the locket. He took a deep breath and walked out the door. When he got down to the ground level, Grantaire hailed a taxi to Grand Central. He arrived at the train station, bought his ticket to Syosset, and went to find his platform. Grantaire had made sure to turn the GPS off on his phone before turning it off.

Finally, it was time to board the train. Grantaire quickly found a seat. He made sure to place his bags on the seats around him to make sure that no one sat next to him. Grantaire had done a good job of fighting his tears, but the moment the train was out of the city, his fingers clutched the locket as the tears poured out. His other hand finding his belly.

***

The train arrived in Syosset an hour and a half later, so Grantaire got off the train with his bags and found a taxi. When the taxi arrived at his grandmother's house, it was pouring rain. He paid the driver as he got out. By the time that Grantaire made it to the doorstep of his grandmother's house, he was almost soaked. He knocked on the door. It was still early morning, but Clara and Aimee would already be up.

The moment the door was opened, he fell into the arms of Aimee, tears falling from his eyes again. She led him in as he cried. Clara grabbed his bags from the doorstep and closed the door.

"'Aire, what's wrong?" Aimee asked as she tried to soothe him, but he wouldn't stop crying. Clara had gone to grab a towel to wrap around him.

Eventually, Grantaire settled down enough. He got some food in his belly and into dry clothes. His grandmother made hot chocolate, then they moved into the living room. Clara and Grantaire sat on the couch, Aimee sat down on the coffee table.

"Nic, does anyone else know that you're here?" Clara asked.

Grantaire shook his head. "No."

"What about Enjolras?" Clara asked.

The mention of Enjolras just started Grantaire through the works again. Clara wrapped her arms around him to try and calm him.

"So, this has to do with Enjolras?" Aimee asked. Grantaire nodded his head as he wiped snot from his nose. "Did he break up with you?" He shook his head.

"Then, what happened, dear? We can't help you if you don't tell us." Clara told him. She ran her fingers through his curls.

Grantaire took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"And he didn't react well?" Clara asked.

"He doesn't know, I didn't tell him." Grantaire admitted.

Clara and Aimee looked at each other. "Why didn't you tell him?" Aimee asked.

"Because my parents threatened to take the baby away." Grantaire explained.

Clara's eyes widened. "They did what?"

"They don't believe that Enjolras and I deserve to have this baby, so they threatened to declare us unfit parents and have our baby taken away." Grantaire said. "I know that I should have told Enjolras, but I had to protect our baby. I can't let them be taken away. Please, understand that." His aunt and grandmother nodded. He looked at Clara, desperation in his eyes. "You two were the only people I could think of that would help me. I understand if you don't want me here. With the whole pregnant thing. I'm 18, I'll find a place."

"Nic, don't be ridiculous. You can stay here as long as you need." Clara said. Grantaire smiled at her before hugging her.

"Have you made a doctor's appointment, yet? To confirm the pregnancy?" Aimee asked. Grantaire shook his head. "Alright, I'll do that later today. Right now, we need to get you settled into one of the extra rooms."

They all stood up. Grantaire followed them to one of the rooms. Clara opened the door to the room that she had placed his bags in. They started to unpack, but they didn't get very far because when Grantaire pulled out the picture frame with his and Enjolras' picture, he started crying again. He clutched the picture to his chest. Clara went to comfort him as he cried. Aimee eventually took the picture from his hand to put it in a new frame since the glass had broken in the one that it was in. Grantaire soon calmed down. Clara kissed his forehead.

"Nic, you're always welcome here. I would never throw you…or my great-grandchild out on the street, okay?" Clara assured him. Grantaire didn't say anything only nodded. "Let's get you into bed, so you can get some sleep. You've had an exhausting morning. We can worry about the rest of the unpacking later."

Clara pulled the covers from the bed, so that Grantaire could crawl in. When he was settled, Clara tucked him in. Aimee came back with the picture frame which she set on the bedside table.

"We love you, Nic. We'll see you when you wake up." Clara said as she turned out the light and closed the door.

"I love you, too." Grantaire said as he pulled covers further over his body. When they left, he turned to look at the picture frame. "And I love you, Enjolras." Grantaire touched his fingertip to the glass. Then, he turned to face the ceiling, his hand fell to his belly again. "And, most of all, I love you, little bug."

***

**_August 2017_ **

Two days later, it was Wednesday. Grantaire had gone to the Musain on Tuesday to see if the meetings were still held there. The waitress that he had asked told him that they were held there on Wednesdays at 6:30 P.M. The one wrench in Grantaire being able to go was that the meetings were held at the same time that he started to get Casey ready for bed. However, he had called Aimee and asked if they could watch Casey for the evening to which she agreed.

At around 5:30, Grantaire and Casey left their apartment to head over to Aimee and Clara's. He had made dinner for Casey before they left. They arrived at the other apartment. Grantaire gave Aimee his and Casey's bag. It was easier for both of them to just stay the night instead of going home. Casey was waiting patiently for his father's attention to be back on him. Grantaire bent down to be at eye level with him.

"Alright, little bug, I'll be back around eight. So, you need to be bathed and either sleeping or almost asleep by the time I get back." Casey nodded. Grantaire reached behind his neck and took off his locket to place it around Casey's neck. "I need you to hold onto this for me tonight, okay? You know how special this is to Papa and he only trusts his little bug to watch over it."

"I will, Papa."

"Good." Grantaire pulled his son into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, Papa." Casey said.

"Now, go and play." Grantaire said, letting go and standing up.

Aimee and Clara had been standing next to them, watching with the exact same look of concern on their faces. He turned to face them.

"Are you sure you going to a meeting is a good idea? I mean, are you ready to see him?" Aimee asked him.

Grantaire shook his head. "No. But I can't keep putting it off. He needs to know."

"Are you going to tell him tonight?" Clara asked.

"No. All I'm going to say is that he and I need to talk and ask him if we could meet for coffee tomorrow or something. I don't want to tell him why I left surrounded by our friends. I will tell them, but Enjolras needs to know first." Clara and Aimee nodded in understanding. "I should be going." Grantaire said, walking to the door. He turned back to say. "I'll see you later. Bye, little bug!"

Casey was sitting on the floor, the locket open in his hand. He looked up to say. "Bye, Papa!" Then, looked back at the locket.

Grantaire left their apartment building and started to make his way to the Musain.

***

There was a crowd of people in the café when Grantaire walked in. He slowly made his way toward the stairs that led to the room where the meeting was held. Grantaire took the steps one by one, and when he came to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and turned the knob. When he opened the door, he was met with a room of silence as they had stared at him, shock evident in their eyes.

Grantaire looked around the room and saw the faces of the friends that he hadn't seen in six years. Enjolras had yet to arrive.

The first one to speak from the group was Courfeyrac. He stood up with a serious look on his face. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here." He took a step toward Grantaire.

"I know. I'm sorry. I promise that I will tell you all my reason for leaving, but –" Grantaire stopped when he saw Courfeyrac's serious look change to a smile. He pulled Grantaire into a tight hug.

"I'm only kidding. It's so good to see you. You can tell us all about why you left later." Courfeyrac told him.

The hug between them was what broke the ice between his friends and him. Soon he was enveloped in hugs from the people that he hadn't realized that he had missed so much until he saw them. Finally, after another round of hugs, Grantaire heard the voice of someone he would recognize anywhere.

"Grantaire?" Enjolras asked from somewhere behind him.

Grantaire felt his stomach twist and the nerves come back. After six years, he was about to come face to face with the man that was the love of his life and other father to his child. He took a deep breath before turning around.

But nothing could have prepared him for seeing Enjolras again. The man was still beautiful. Age had served him well. He was still skinny, tall, and lanky. Grantaire had no doubt that his chest was still a little muscular. Enjolras had never been one for athletics, but he still did what he could to remain fit and healthy. His eyes were still as blue as ever. The eyes made Grantaire think about Casey for a split second as he looked into them. His fingers were still long and bony. His jaw still looked like it could cut something. It had been impossible to explain Enjolras' beauty six years ago, and it still was now.

"Hi, Enjolras." Grantaire said.

Enjolras looked at him with cold eyes. "Hi." He didn't spare Grantaire another glance as he walked to the front of the room to call the meeting to order.

Grantaire watched Enjolras as he spoke with passion and fury, but he also couldn't help the longing to hold him in his arms after six long years. But he didn't have that right anymore. So, instead, Grantaire would settle for Casey's cuddles when he got home.

Once the meeting was over, Grantaire was surrounded by everyone, but Enjolras, asking him questions about why he left with no explanation or goodbye.

"Look, I know that I owe you answers, and I promise that I will explain everything, but right now, I can't." Grantaire said.

"R, you're not in any trouble, are you?" Éponine asked.

He looked at them with a reassuring smile on his face. "No, I'm not in any trouble. And I know that this is asking a lot, but I just need you to trust me, right now. Everything will be explained in time."

His friends sighed before going back to their drinks and conversations with each other. Grantaire noticed Enjolras stand up to leave after gathering his stuff. Grantaire stood up and followed after him. All their friends watched the former lovers leave. They knew that Enjolras was the one that was more deserving of an explanation than the rest of them.

Enjolras was already on the sidewalk outside the café when Grantaire caught up to him. "Enjolras, wait up!"

Enjolras stopped and turned to look at him, crossing his arms. "I have nothing to say to you, Grantaire."

Grantaire flinched at the coldness in his voice. "You hate me, I understand, but we have to talk."

"Alright, fine. Talk." Enjolras demanded. "Explain to me why you left me without so much as an explanation or a goodbye. Explain to me why I woke up the next morning to find you gone. Your phone disconnected and all your social media accounts deleted. Explain to me why it took you six years to return to New York City."

"I promise I will explain everything, but not here. Not right now. Can we meet tomorrow, please?" Grantaire asked.

"Are the rest of them included in that?" Enjolras asked him.

Grantaire shook his head. "No. I need to talk to you first. They can wait. You can't."

"I've waited six years, Grantaire. I think I can wait until you're ready to tell all of us." Enjolras said.

"Enjolras, please. I will tell them, I will. But I need to tell you first. The reason I left concerns you far more than it does them." Grantaire explained.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Enjolras asked.

"You meet me tomorrow and I will tell you. Please, Enjolras." Grantaire could hear the pleading in his own voice.

Enjolras looked at him. He was desperate to resist those pleading green eyes, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with every passing second. It was clear that whatever Grantaire needed to talk to him about was incredibly important.

The moment Enjolras saw Grantaire that night, his heart had started to pound.

Six years.

Time had done well for Grantaire. His face had filled out more. He could see signs of stubble. His voice was deeper. Grantaire was more masculine. Enjolras guessed that he had started T during the six years they were apart. Grantaire's hair was as curly and wild as ever since it still hung over his eyes. His eyes were still the same beautiful green they had always been. He was still handsome and he still made Enjolras' heart beat wildly.

Enjolras wanted to hate Grantaire, but he couldn't. Was he angry with him? Yes, absolutely. He just hadn't realized how angry until he had seen him standing in front of him. But Enjolras couldn't hate him. No part of Enjolras could ever hate Grantaire. He was the love of his life. They were going to be together forever until Grantaire left, leaving him heartbroken and confused.

It was that thought that allowed Enjolras to make his decision.

Enjolras sighed. "Fine. Here. 1 P.M."

"Thank you." Grantaire said.

They quickly exchanged numbers, just in case something came up. After getting his phone back, Enjolras started walking away again, but Grantaire started to follow him again.

"So, how have you been?" Grantaire asked.

"Grantaire, I'm not doing this with you. I've had a long day, and quite frankly, I'm not in the mood." Enjolras said. The coldness in his voice was back, and he didn't fail to notice the look of hurt that flashed through Grantaire's eyes.

"Okay. I guess, I'll go. I have to get home anyway, too." Grantaire turned around and walked away in the opposite direction. Enjolras watched his retreating figure. Grantaire was trying to do his best by not looking back.

***

Grantaire arrived back at the other apartment. He walked in the door. Only to be greeted with the sight of Casey lying on the couch with his pajamas on and Bear in his arms. He was wrapped up in a blanket and a pillow was underneath his head. He was sound asleep.

He noticed that Aimee was sitting at the kitchen counter, marking her page in her book as she looked at Grantaire. "He refused to sleep in the bed until you got back."

Grantaire walked toward the couch. "Do you want to help me move him?"

Aimee removed the blanket from Casey's body, so Grantaire could scoop him and Bear into his arms. Grantaire noticed that Casey's little hand was clutching his locket. He smiled as he made his way to the guest bedroom. Aimee was right behind him with his pillow.

When they entered the room, Aimee went to lay the pillow down and pull the covers back. Grantaire laid Casey down. He tucked his son in. Aimee placed a kiss to both of her nephews' forehead.

"Goodnight." She whispered as she walked out the room, closing the door.

"Goodnight." Grantaire whispered.

He stood up to get his own pajamas on and get ready for bed. Grantaire was almost done with his nightly routine when he heard the small voice of his son.

"Papa?" Casey asked. His voice filled with sleep.

Grantaire walked around the bed, sat down, and started running his fingers through Casey's hair. "I'm right here, little bug."

Casey smiled. He lifted his head to remove the locket. "I kept it safe like I promised I would."

Grantaire took it from him with a smile. "I knew you would." He placed it back around his neck.

"I love you, Papa." Casey said. His eyes drifting shut again.

"I love you, too." He kissed Casey's forehead. Then, he stood up to finish getting ready for bed.

When Grantaire was done, he laid down next to Casey, pulling him close. Holding him until he too fell fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to drag Enjolras finding out longer than I had too. In other words, stay tuned for Wednesday!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I want to thank you for the incredible response this has received! It means the absolute world to me!
> 
> As usual, I don't own anything, but the plot and the spelling/grammar mistakes!

_June 2011_

Enjolras felt the sunlight on his face as he awoke. He reached over to the side of the bed, expecting to feel his boyfriend. Instead, all he felt was a cold spot. Enjolras' eyes snapped open. He quickly sat up, letting the sheets pool at his waist.

Where was Grantaire?

The coldness of the bed next to him signified that Grantaire had been gone a long time. He looked on the bedside table for a note. There wasn't one. Then, he grabbed his phone. No missed calls or text messages. Enjolras unlocked his phone and hit Grantaire's speed dial. All he received was an automated voice telling him that the number he was trying to reach had been disconnected.

"What the hell?" Enjolras asked before calling it again, then again. He called it seven times before he stopped. It really was disconnected. Enjolras went to search for his boyfriend's social media accounts, but those, too, had been deactivated. Enjolras got out of bed to get dressed.

Enjolras walked down the stairs to the dining table where Isabelle and his father, Gabriel, were sitting, reading the newspaper.

"Mom, Dad, have either of you seen Grantaire this morning?" Enjolras asked as he sat down. The housekeeper brought his food.

"No. Not since yesterday when he arrived." Isabelle said.

"Have you tried calling him?" Gabriel asked.

Enjolras nodded. "Yes, but the line was disconnected. He also deactivated all his social media accounts."

"Did he say anything to you last night?" Isabelle asked.

Enjolras shook his head. "No. He arrived, we had sex, and then we stayed in my room." He had no qualms about telling his parents that they had sex. They knew that they were sexually active, but were always careful with using protection. "He said that he had something he needed to talk to me about before we left Chicago, but when he came over, he said that it didn't matter anymore. Something's wrong, Dad. I know it. I can feel it."

"Alright. Jules, we'll figure it out, I promise. After breakfast, we'll go over to his house and see if he's there."

"Thanks, Dad."

And that's what they did, but when they arrived, the place was bare. As if no one has ever lived there. Enjolras ran to Grantaire's bedroom and found it completely empty. He knew something was definitely wrong now. He ran back downstairs.

"Dad, he's gone. There's nothing in his room. Something's wrong, Dad. I know that for sure now. He wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye." Enjolras could feel the tears forming.

"It will be okay, Jules. We'll find him." Gabriel took his son into his arms as he broke down crying.

***

They searched for months. They had the police searching. Enjolras' friends and their families were searching. All of Gabriel's ties in New York and around the Tri-State area were searching, but none of them could find any sign of Grantaire. It was like he vanished into thin air.

They searched everywhere, but not in Syosset.

As the months dragged on, searching for Grantaire began to consume Enjolras. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat. He didn't do anything that didn't involve searching for the love of his life. He had started at Columbia in August, but he just didn't care enough about school. All that mattered to him was finding Grantaire.

His friends and parents were worried because he was strong during the day, but at night, he broke down in his bed and cried himself to sleep. His friends all watched how sad and quiet he had become. They all tried to cheer him up, but to no avail.

When September turned to October, Enjolras' parents received a call from Columbia saying that Enjolras had dropped out. It was then that they knew they had to stage an intervention. They sat Enjolras down to tell him that they were calling off the search.

Enjolras looked at them with anger in his eyes. "No, we're not."

"Jules, it's been months. We've searched and searched, and have come up with nothing." Gabriel said

"So, what? You're just giving up on him?" Enjolras asked.

Isabelle shook her head. "Of course not, but sweetheart, clearly Grantaire doesn't want to be found or else we would have found him already."

Enjolras stood up. He faced his parents. "I don't believe that. He left me with no note, no goodbye, no nothing, but I know that he wouldn't do that without a reason."

Gabriel and Isabelle looked at each other, then their son. Gabriel spoke next. "Jules, the police are dropping the search. As far as they are concerned, it's a waste of time. So are the rest of our ties."

"Then, we'll search by ourselves." Enjolras told his parents.

Isabelle stood up and walked to him. She cupped his face. "Jules, we love him, too."

"But he's the love of _my_ life! I'm the one in love with him!" Enjolras cried. "I'm not going to stop until I find him."

Isabelle nodded. "And we understand that, but Jules, we love you, too. And we've started to seriously worry about you. You hardly eat. You barely sleep. You've dropped out of Columbia. You can't search for him if you end up killing yourself in the process. This needs to end. Now." She could see the sadness in her son's eyes. "Honey, if you love him and he loves you, one day he'll come back. You have to believe that. Do you?"

A tear fell from Enjolras' eye. She wiped it away. "Yes, Mama, I do."

"Good." She kissed his forehead.

Enjolras agreed to drop the search. He started sleeping again. He started eating. He started to enjoy himself in the presence of his friends, but for the most part, he kept to himself.

He applied to NYU for the spring semester and got in. He didn't feel like he could be a lawyer without Grantaire by his side, so he decided to study to become a high school social studies teacher, instead.

Enjolras went back to living his life, but he never lost hope that Grantaire would return to him.

***

**_August 2017_ **

Enjolras sat in the Musain, waiting for Grantaire to show up. He sat at one of the tables with his cup of coffee. He had brought his computer, so that he could work on his syllabus for the upcoming school year. He was just starting his second year of teaching at a high school in Manhattan.

Enjolras looked at the clock on his computer and it said that it was 1:10 P.M. He sighed and sat back in his chair, grabbing his cup of coffee. As he took a sip, his phone buzzed with a text message. He opened the text only to see that it was from Grantaire.

**_Grantaire (1:11 P.M.): Sorry, I can't make it. Something came up at work._ **

Enjolras rolled his eyes as he typed his reply.

**_Enjolras (1:12 P.M.): You're the one that needed to talk to me._ **

**_Grantaire (1:12 P.M.): I know, Enjolras, I'm sorry. But like I said a work thing came up and I can't get out of it._ **

Enjolras pocketed his phone, saved his work before turning off his computer, and left the Musain.

***

Later that night, Grantaire was sitting on the couch. Laptop on his lap, working on the paperwork that he had been given. The work that had kept him from meeting with Enjolras that day. The TV was on as background noise.

He had put Casey to bed around eight, it was about 11 now. Grantaire had finished painting and decorating his room two days ago, and since they had spent the night before at Clara and Aimee's, it was Casey's first night in his room.

Grantaire put down his work to rub his eyes because they were growing tired from looking at the screen. He went into the kitchen, set down his mug from his tea. Grantaire went to go check on Casey, who was still sound asleep, Bear clutched in his arms. His rotating nightlight that had fish on it was on, lighting his room in colors of red, blue, green, and yellow. He smiled before walking back into the kitchen to make himself more tea. Grantaire was filling up the kettle with water when there was a knock on the door.

He went to answer it. It was Enjolras on the other side.

"Enjolras, hi, what are you doing here? You do know what time it is?" Grantaire asked. He kept the door mostly shut.

"I remembered that you had given JBM your address the other day, so I got it from them. I figured you'd still be awake, so I thought we could have that talk." Enjolras explained.

"Enjolras, now is really not a good time." Grantaire replied.

"Well, I think, it's a perfect time. You're the one that needs to talk to me." Enjolras reminded him. "So, can I come in?"

Cautious of the fact that their son was sleeping, thirty feet away, Grantaire shook his head. "No, I don't think you can."

Enjolras looked at him, suspiciously, but before he could say another word, there was a scream of "Papa!" from inside the apartment. Grantaire didn't hesitate. He turned and ran. Leaving the door wide open.

Grantaire saw Casey standing in the hallway, tears streaming down his face, clutching Bear to his chest. He bent down to pull his son into a hug.

"It's okay, little bug. It's okay. It was only a dream, okay? Only a dream." Grantaire ran his fingers through the curls. Casey pulled away from the hug. He looked behind his father and saw Enjolras, standing in the kitchen of the apartment. Grantaire followed his gaze. _This is happening now, apparently._ He thought. He turned back to Casey. "Little bug, go into Papa's room. I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?" Casey nodded. Grantaire wiped his tears away before pressing a kiss to his son's forehead. Casey's eyes went to Enjolras. "Go on."

Casey walked away from Grantaire. Grantaire slowly stood up.

"Well, you surely didn't waste your time." Enjolras said. Anger and ice evident in his voice.

Grantaire had never whirled around so fast in his life. His own anger rising at Enjolras even thinking that he could ever sleep with someone that wasn't him. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

"What?" Enjolras asked with his arms crossed.

"He looks just like you!" Grantaire cried. "He's five years old. It's been six years since we last saw each other. He was born on February 17th, 2012. You're smart, Enjolras. Do the math."

Grantaire could see Enjolras doing the math before it dawned on him. "He's mine?" He took a step back.

"Yes, Enjolras, he's yours. Who else's would he be?" Grantaire told him.

"He's the reason you left?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire nodded. "Yes. I promise that I'll explain everything, but I can't–"

"You kept him from me?" Enjolras asked.

"I'm sorry, but if you just let me explain–"

"Explain what?" Enjolras exclaimed. The anger rising. "How you kept my son from me?! How you robbed me of five years of my son's life?!"

Hearing it put into words, Grantaire flinched. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you. We were 18, Enjolras. Just out of high school. We both agreed that a family came later. And I was scared!"

Enjolras glared. "I still had a right to know! He's my son, too! And you kept him from me!"

"I know. And there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't regretted that!" Grantaire cried. He could feel the tears burning his eyes.

Enjolras turned to walk out. Grantaire followed after him.

"Enjolras, please, wait!" Grantaire called. "If you just let me explain, you'll see–"

Enjolras turned back around to face him. "NO! You took five years of our son's life from me. If you think you can be forgiven for that by a single explanation, you're sadly mistaken." He walked out the door and slammed it shut.

The tears that Grantaire had tried to hold back, finally came as he crumbled to his knees. He cried his eyes out until he remembered that Casey had probably heard the entire conversation. Grantaire stood up, wiped his tears from his eyes, and walked to his room.

Casey was lying on the bed, eyes open, and clutching Bear. Grantaire saw that he was still scared. Whether from the nightmare or the anger in Enjolras' voice, he didn't know.

Grantaire quickly switched out from his clothes into his pajamas and crawled underneath the covers. Casey immediately settled in to his side.

"Papa, who was that man?" His small voice asked.

Grantaire closed his eyes before sitting up and placed Casey in his lap. "Casey, I need to tell you something." Casey looked at his father. Grantaire almost started crying again seeing Casey's big blue eyes filled with such trust. "Casey, that man was your daddy."

"What? That was my daddy?" Casey asked. His voice filled with hope.

"Yes, little bug, it was." Grantaire said.

Casey looked at Grantaire, then to the bedroom door, back to Grantaire. "But he didn't look like a superhero."

Grantaire shook his head. "No, Casey, he didn't, but that's because he's a special kind of superhero. He's the kind of superhero that wears normal clothing because he's doesn't have a secret identity. He lets people see him as he is because he has nothing to hide. Does that make sense?"

Casey nodded. "A little, but he looked at me funny."

Grantaire felt his heart twist. "He wasn't expecting to see you, that's all. He won't look at you funny next time, I promise."

"Okay."

Grantaire placed Casey back on the bed. They crawled under the covers again. Casey fell asleep rather quickly, but Grantaire couldn't fall asleep because every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was the anger and hurt in Enjolras' eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now, Enjolras knows! But of course, it wasn't just going to be as easy as sitting them down to talk. This is Enjolras and Grantaire we are talking about! Any theories about what will happen next?
> 
> Also, in my fics where Enjolras' parents are kind and loving parents, their names will be Isabelle and Gabriel.
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	6. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next doesn't contain a flashback because I wanted to keep the momentum of Enjolras finding out about Casey. They will be back in chapter seven. Either way, enjoy this chapter!
> 
> You know the drill by now.

**_August 2017_ **

Enjolras walked into the apartment that he shared with Combeferre. His best friend was sitting on the couch, a book in his lap. He looked up when he saw Enjolras walk in.

"I thought you were visiting Grantaire." Combeferre said. Then, he caught sight of how angry Enjolras looked. "What happened?"

Enjolras sat down before saying. "I have a son. That's why Grantaire left. He was pregnant."

"What? But that makes no sense. Why would he leave?" Combeferre asked. His brain still trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

Enjolras shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't stick around long enough to find out."

Combeferre looked at his friend. "Why not? Enj, he must have left, without telling you about the baby, for a reason. Don't you care to find out what that reason is? You spent months searching for him. He's here now. He can give you answers."

"He said that he was scared. That's all the reason I need." Enjolras said, curtly.

Combeferre sighed. "There is probably a reason why he was scared. Just let him explain, Enjolras. He probably desperately wants to. Plus, what about your son? Don't you want to get to know him?"

"He probably doesn't even know I exist?" Enjolras scoffed.

"Do you really think that Grantaire would be so cruel not to tell a child about one of his fathers? My bet is that he has told him all about you. Just talk to him, Enj. Get your answers. Decide what you'll do then. In the meantime, I'm going to bed." Combeferre stood up. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Enjolras said. He watched Combeferre leave the living room.

When Combeferre was gone, Enjolras sat back against the cushions. Thinking about the boy that he had a seen.

He had a son. A son. A living, breathing symbol of the love that he and Grantaire had once shared.

Right now, he was pissed at Grantaire, but he also couldn't help the swell of pride in his chest for the fact that he had a son.

***

The next morning, after Combeferre had left for work, Enjolras was sitting in the kitchen, laptop on the table. However, it was extremely difficult to focus because all he could hear were Combeferre's words from the night before echoing in his mind. Then, as the day went on, all Enjolras could think about was how betrayed he felt by Grantaire. The child had half of his DNA. He had deserved to know.

What part of him wanting Grantaire to be his future had he not understood?

Enjolras had wanted Grantaire as his husband, the other father of his children. He had wanted to grow old with no one, but Grantaire at his side. He thought that Grantaire had known that.

There was no doubt in his mind that had Grantaire told him, he would have been ecstatic. He would have fallen more in love with Grantaire as he watched his belly swell with their child. They would have been a family. Everything else be damned. Just having Grantaire and their baby would have been enough.

All of sudden, he felt wetness on his cheeks. Enjolras realized that they were tears. He was crying for the nine months of not being able to see Grantaire's belly grow. He was crying for missing the birth. He was crying for the five years of his son's life that he would never get back. He was crying for the anger he felt at Grantaire. He was crying because he was still in love with Grantaire.

Enjolras continued to cry for a good ten minutes before he pulled himself together. Combeferre's words of needing to talk to Grantaire still echoing in his mind. He found his phone and called up Grantaire.

"We need to talk." He said the moment Grantaire picked up.

 _"Yes, we do. Where and when do you want to do it?"_ Grantaire asked.

"Your place. Tomorrow around 3." Enjolras replied.

 _"Sounds good."_ Grantaire said.

Enjolras hung up the phone before getting back to work.

***

The next day dragged on slowly for both of them as they both dreaded the conversation that they were about to have. At around 2:40 P.M., Enjolras left his apartment to make his way to Grantaire's. He knocked on the door when he arrived. Grantaire opened the door, who didn't fail to notice how miserable Enjolras looked.

"Hi." He said, quietly.

"Hi." Enjolras said.

"Please, come in."

Enjolras stepped in and noticed what he hadn't two nights before. The toys and stuffed animals scattered all over the room. The pictures of Grantaire and their son on the walls. Enjolras also didn't fail to notice the locket around Grantaire's neck. The locket that he had given him.

He took a deep breath before he asked. "So, where is he?"

"I had Clara and Aimee take him while we had this conversation. I felt that having him out of the apartment was best while I explain to you why I did what I did." Grantaire said.

Enjolras nodded and walked into the living room to take a seat. "So, why did you do it?"

"Because I was scared." Grantaire said. He took a seat too, but far from Enjolras.

"That's not an answer, Grantaire. He's my son, too. I deserved to know." Enjolras told him.

"I know that. I should have told you." Grantaire said with his eyes closed.

"So, why didn't you?" Enjolras asked.

"Because I had to protect him!" Grantaire cried.

Enjolras looked at him, startled. "Protect him from what?"

Grantaire looked at him before saying. "My parents."

"What about your parents?" Enjolras asked. With that, some of Enjolras' anger disappeared. He knew that his parents were the only thing that Grantaire was truly afraid of. "Grantaire, what about your parents?"

Tears rushed to Grantaire's eyes. "They threatened to take him away. After he was born, they planned to declare us unfit parents."

Enjolras moved closer to Grantaire, but he didn't dare touch him. He knew that this couldn't be easy for Grantaire. "Grantaire…"

"I wanted to tell you, I swear that I did. I knew how happy you'd be. But as I was walking to your place, I started thinking about what would happen if your parents agreed, and I know that they wouldn't have, but I didn’t know what to do. I had to protect our baby. I had to ensure that he would be raised by us, and the only way I could think of to do that was by not telling you." Tears were streaming down Grantaire's face. Enjolras couldn't stop himself from hugging him.

When he pulled away, he asked, "When did you realize that you were pregnant?"

Grantaire took a deep breath. "You remember how a few days before you had to leave for Chicago for your grandfather's funeral, I came down with what we believed to be the flu. You remember that?" Grantaire asked to which Enjolras nodded. "And how you were torn about whether to go or not because of my illness, but I told you to go and I would be fine." Enjolras nodded again. "Okay, so that entire week that you were gone, I had days where I felt fine and days where I felt like absolute shit. But the day before you were coming home, I was having lunch with JBM, and Musichetta was talking about needing to get tampons. That's when I realized that I hadn't gotten my period. I looked at my phone and saw that I was about a week late. When I was done with lunch, I went to the store and bought three home pregnancy tests. Three may have been too much, but I needed to be sure. All of the tests came back positive. I was pregnant. He was conceived the weekend of graduation when we snuck away to the Hamptons."

Grantaire stopped to look at Enjolras, who didn't have a single expression on his face. "Telling you that I was pregnant was what I need to talk to you about. I had every intention of telling you, but when you got home and texted me that you were awake, my parents got to me first. They told me that they knew of my pregnancy, and that's when they threatened to take him away. I decided that to protect our baby, I needed to leave."

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Enjolras asked.

"No, I didn't. No one could know." Grantaire explained. "I decided that the only place I could go was Syosset to Clara and Aimee. So, that's what I did. They let me stay. They helped me through my pregnancy. I was able to take classes at the college in Syosset, thanks to my grandma pulling some strings. I regretted leaving right away, but I didn't know what else to do. I knew that leaving New York would cause my parents to leave, too. I had every intention of coming back before the end of pregnancy, but I was still so scared that I stayed away."

"There was a phone call from an unknown number. When I answered, I heard nothing on the other side. That was you, wasn't it?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire felt a tear slip from his eyes. "Yes. I just needed to hear your voice. I had just found out that the baby was a boy the day I called." He admitted. "When Casey was born–"

"Wait, Casey?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire glanced at him. "Yes, Casey. His full given name is Casey René Enjolras-Grantaire. Casey after your grandfather, René after mine. I hyphenated the last names because I couldn't choose whether I wanted him to be an Enjolras or a Grantaire, so I went with both." He could see tears form in Enjolras' eyes. "When he was born, I became swamped with my work and school, and again I was still so scared. And before I knew it, Casey was a year old, then two, then three, and so on. Until now. Enjolras, I'm so, so, so sorry."

Despite understanding it all a little bit better now, Enjolras was still angry. "Look, I understand why you did what you did, but I still should have known. Grantaire, I loved you. You didn't have to do it alone. I would have left with you."

"I know. I just…Our baby meant everything to me, and I just wanted to protect him. You, of all people, should know what my relationship with my parents was like."

"I know." Enjolras shivered at the thought of the things Grantaire's parents had said to both him and the love of his life. But now, Enjolras needed to know about Casey. "What does Casey know about me?"

"Everything. I made sure that he knew about you. It was incredibly important to me that he did. And I can tell you that Casey practically idolizes you. He loves you, so much. You're his hero."

Enjolras had tears in his eyes by the time Grantaire finished, but he could also feel the anger brewing up again. "Look, Grantaire, I can understand why you left, but I should have known. He's my child, too. You took five years of his life away from me. I missed out on so many important moments of his life. Seeing him grow inside of you. Hearing the heartbeat. The sonograms. His birth. All of his firsts. I missed out on all of it!"

"I'm sorry!" Grantaire cried. Tears treading down his face. Enjolras stood up from the couch and walked toward the door. Grantaire followed after him. "Enjolras, please!"

"Grantaire, I appreciate that you told me, but I don't know how I can forgive you. I don't know if I can." Enjolras said. "So. Please. Just…just give me time. Please." He didn't wait for Grantaire's answer. He just turned and walked to the door.

Grantaire flinched at the sound of the door closing as he became overwhelmed with sobs.

***

Grantaire was thankfully done crying and was making dinner by the time that Aimee came back with Casey. Casey was all smiles, and it made Grantaire's heart grow with warmth. After greeting his papa, Casey went off to play. Aimee walked into the kitchen.

"So, how did it go?" Aimee asked.

Grantaire shrugged, "About as well as what was expected. The ball is in his court now."

Aimee nodded. "Okay, well, just remember that we are here for you if you need us."

"I know." Grantaire said. "Thanks for watching him."

"You're welcome." Aimee gave Grantaire a hug. Then, called to Casey. "Casey! I'm leaving!"

Casey ran up to her to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Aimee kissed his hair before leaving the apartment. Casey was just about to walk back into the living room, but Grantaire stopped him.

"Not so fast, little bug. You got to wash your hands for dinner. Then, you can play some more until it's time for your bath." Grantaire told him. He picked him up and brought him to the sink. He watched Casey wash his hands before helping him down. Casey went to one of the dining chairs.

Grantaire brought out the food. It was mac and cheese and hot dogs. He scooped some mac and cheese onto his son's plate. He then grabbed a hot dog and put it on a bun. Casey did the honors of putting the ketchup on the plate. It was little bit too much, but Grantaire didn't care. He poured Casey some milk into his glass and allowed him to start eating as he scooped up his own plate.

"Papa, will I get to meet Daddy soon?" Casey asked as he put some macaroni into a mouth.

Grantaire felt his heart twist. "I don't know, little bug. I think Daddy is going to be busy over the course of the next few days."

"But I want to meet him!" Casey cried.

"I know, little bug. You will, I promise. In the meantime, we have to finish getting you ready for kindergarten." Grantaire said.

Casey smiled before setting his spoon to clap his hands in excitement. His son's excitement caused Grantaire to chuckle.

"Yes, you're excited, little bug, but now finish your dinner. If you eat it all up, I'll let you stay up a little bit past your bedtime." Grantaire said.

Casey nodded and got back to eating.

Grantaire continued to eat, as well. When he was done, he carried his plate to the sink. Casey was still finishing up. As he cleaned his plate, Grantaire's thoughts drifted to Enjolras and what was going to happen now. Something told him that it was going to be a long few days. He glanced over at Casey, who was wiping his face on his sleeve before he continued to eat. Grantaire felt his heart twist again because he knew that until Enjolras came to meet him, he was going to have to keep breaking Casey's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come back on Friday for six and seven!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	7. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember no flashback in this chapter. It jumps right to the present.
> 
> As usual, I only own Casey and the spelling/grammar mistakes.

**_September 2017_ **

Three weeks had passed since Enjolras had found out that he had a son. In that time, Casey had started kindergarten and Enjolras had gone back to teaching. Grantaire also hadn't heard anything from Enjolras. Aimee and Clara told him not to worry about it and that Enjolras would contact him in his own time. And maybe that was true, but Casey had been asking everyday whether or not that would be the day that he met his daddy.

Grantaire was starting to worry that Enjolras wouldn't want to meet their son, and if that was the case, Grantaire didn't know how to break the news to Casey. Casey wanted nothing more in this world than to meet his daddy. It's all he has wanted since Grantaire told him about Enjolras a year ago.

Casey was currently coloring while Grantaire made them dinner. He had no doubt in his mind that the picture that he was drawing was going to go in the book of drawings and coloring pages that Casey had created for Enjolras.

"Papa, what is Daddy's favorite color?" Casey asked him.

"Red." Grantaire said, not even having to think about it.

He turned his head just in time to see Casey pluck the red crayon from the box and started coloring with it.

It was about a half hour later that dinner was ready, and Grantaire called him to the table.

Casey came with one of his drawings. "Do you think Daddy will like it, Papa?" He showed it to Grantaire.

It was a picture of a family. A man on one side was obviously supposed to be Grantaire because of the green shirt and beanie, unruly dark curls, and green eyes. Then on the other side was another man, clearly supposed to be Enjolras with the curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and a red shirt. Then, in the middle was Casey, holding hands with both of his fathers. Grantaire felt his heart twist. Casey had created many drawings with this image, but each one always made his heart ache.

"Yeah, little bug, I think Daddy will love it." He said to his son.

"You really think so?"

Grantaire nodded. "I know so. Why don't you go put it in your book, and then come and eat?"

"Okay." Casey ran to his bedroom.

Grantaire started to dish food on Casey's plate. By the time Casey returned, Casey's plate was ready and Grantaire was dishing up his own.

"So, little bug, how are you liking school?" Grantaire asked.

Casey shrugged his shoulders and said, sadly. "It's alright. But I don't think that the kids like me."

Grantaire looked at his son. "Why would you think that?"

"Because none of them want to be my friend and they leave me all alone. I mostly have to play by myself during playtime." Casey said.

"Oh, little bug." Grantaire said

"I try to make friends, but they just walk away from me." Casey said as a tear fell from his eye.

Grantaire felt his heart ache in his chest. "Little bug, come here." He pushed himself from the table, just as Casey started crying harder. He picked him up and held him. "Oh, darling. It's okay." Grantaire rocked him back and forth. "It's okay." Casey buried his head in his father's chest. "Hey, Casey, look at me. Look at me." Casey pulled his head away from Grantaire's chest. Grantaire cupped his face. "If they don't want to be your friend, that's their problem. Not yours. You just keep being you, and eventually, they will come around."

"How can you be so sure?" Casey asked.

"Because I'm going to let you in on a secret. When your daddy was your age, he had trouble making friends too. Until he found the two best friends anyone could ask for, and I'm sure that you'll find friends just as great."

"Okay, Papa."

"And Casey, I want you to tell me if they ever say anything cruel to you. No matter what it is, okay?"

Casey nodded. "I love you, Papa."

"I love you, too, little bug." Grantaire hugged his son, tightly. He then set him back down. "Now, finish eating your dinner."

Casey did what his father asked.

***

Once they were done eating, Grantaire let Casey play for a little while longer before it was time for his bath. When the bath was over, he helped Casey into his pajamas and let him brush his teeth. Then, he carried his tired son into his bedroom. Grantaire laid Casey down on his bed and tucked him in. Then, he turned on the nightlight, that lit up the room in a kaleidoscope of red, green, blue, and yellow from the rotating fish, and turned off the ceiling light in exchange for the bedside table light. Grantaire moved back to the bed to finish saying goodnight to his son.

"Papa, why doesn't Daddy want to meet me? Did I do something wrong?" Casey asked once he was all tucked in.

Grantaire placed Bear under his son's arms. "No, of course you didn't do anything wrong. Why would you think that?"

"Because he hasn't been around, and you promised that he would be."

"And he will be."

Casey smiled. "Papa, can you just sing the lullaby tonight? No story."

Grantaire nodded. "Of course. Close your eyes, little bug."

Casey closed his eyes and snuggled under the covers. Grantaire started running his fingers through the curls before he started singing.

 _♫Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green, when I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen…♫_ Grantaire continued singing the lullaby over and over until Casey's breath evened out.

Grantaire pressed a kiss to his son's forehead. He turned out the bedside light, walked out of the room, and left the door open just a crack. He sighed before walking back into the living room. Grantaire stopped in front of the bookcase. He took a book from it, walked it to his bag, and put it inside.

Grantaire was done waiting for Enjolras to contact him. More importantly, he was done watching Casey believe that he had done something wrong and that's why Enjolras hadn't come to meet him yet.

So, if Enjolras wasn't going to come to him, he would go to him.

***

The next morning, after dropping Casey off at the elementary school, Grantaire drove to Enjolras' apartment building. He got the address from Joly. Grantaire grabbed his bag, stepped out of the car, and walked across the street to the door of the apartment building.

After taking the elevator up to the sixth floor, Grantaire quickly found the apartment that Enjolras shared with Combeferre. He knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Enjolras opened it.

"Grantaire, I have to leave in twenty minutes." Enjolras said.

"Well, this is only going to take five." Grantaire said, sternly.

Enjolras sighed and let him in the apartment. Grantaire stayed in the living room while Enjolras walked toward the kitchen.

"So, where is Casey?"

"Already dropped off at his elementary school." Grantaire said. "Actually, Casey is why I am here."

"Did something happen?"

Grantaire glared at him, "Do you even care?"

Enjolras looked at him in shock. "Of course, I care. He's my son."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. You have known about him for three weeks and not once have you made the move to come and meet him." Grantaire said, clutching his bag as anger and protectiveness burst through him.

Enjolras glared right back. "Learning you have a son is not the easiest thing to process."

"No, you want to know what is not easy." Grantaire said. "Having my son look up at me with his trusting big blue eyes that look just like yours and ask: "Is this the day that I'm going to meet my daddy?", and know the moment I say no, I'm going to break his little heart. Or when he asks if the reason you haven't come to meet him is because he has done something wrong."

"But he hasn't done anything." Enjolras said.

"He's a five-year old child, Enjolras! He doesn't understand that. The only thing he knows right now is that the Daddy that he loves so much does not want to meet him." Grantaire replied. You hurt his son and Papa Bear came out, claws flying. He didn't care right now that the claws were out at the other man that gave his son life. "If you want to hate me for keeping him from you, hate me. Be angry with me. Quite frankly, I don't blame you. I hate myself for what I did. But that doesn't mean you forget that Casey exists because he does, Enjolras. And he's not going away." He walked close to him. "Just meet him, please. He loves you, Enjolras, and all he wants is a relationship with you. Don't you want a relationship with him?" Grantaire asked.

"Of course, I do."

"Then, just please, come and meet him. I'm not asking as your ex-boyfriend, I am asking as the father of your child." Grantaire said. When Enjolras didn't reply, he sighed, "Fine, I'll let you think on it. In the meantime," He said reaching for his bag. He opened it and took out the book that he had put in there the night before. He held it out to Enjolras. "Take this."

"What is it?"

"It's Casey's baby book. I documented everything solely to give it to you. From the first doctor's appointment to the first sonogram to the birth to his first steps and first words. Up until now. Everything is in there." Grantaire explained as Enjolras took it from him. "Look, I know that it's not the same as being there, but at least it's something."

With that, Grantaire turned and walked out of the apartment. Enjolras watched him leave, and then his eyes went back to the book in his hands. The cover was white with blue letters writing out, "CASEY RENÉ ENJOLRAS-GRANTAIRE.

Knowing that he didn't have time to look at it at the moment, he set it on the coffee table. He figured that he would look at it when he got home from his job. Enjolras grabbed his things before leaving the apartment.

The book laying lonely on the coffee table.

***

That night Enjolras sat on the couch, grading papers when Combeferre came in the door.

"Hey, Enj. I have a date with Éponine, so I'm going to quickly change, and then head out." Combeferre said.

Enjolras nodded, but didn't say a word.

"Alright, what is it?" Combeferre said. He sat down next to his best friend. He noticed the baby book on the coffee table. "What is this?" He picked it up and looked at it.

Enjolras looked at his best friend, "It's Casey's baby book. Grantaire dropped it off this morning."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And have you looked through it?" Combeferre asked. He placed the book back on the table.

"No, I haven't."

Combeferre sighed. "And why not?"

Enjolras looked at his best friend before sighing. "Because it's not going to change anything, 'Ferre. Grantaire still kept Casey from me, and I understand why, but the point still stands."

"No, it's not, but it's going to connect you to Casey in some way. Look, Enj, do I agree with what Grantaire did? Absolutely not. He should have told you. But that being said, do I understand why he did it, especially when we all know of the abuse that his parents put him through? Yes, I do." Combeferre told his friend. "And he's here now, with Casey. He gave you this book for the reason of wanting you to have something of the years that you missed. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Of course, it does." Enjolras said.

Combeferre picked it up again and held it out to Enjolras. "Then, look through it." Enjolras refused. That's when Combeferre realized that there was more going on. "There's more to it than just the five year you missed out on, isn't there?" Enjolras didn't say anything. "What else did Grantaire say this morning?"

"He begged me to meet Casey."

Combeferre looked at his friend, "Well, don't you want to?"

"Of course, I do. It's just…"

"Just what?"

Enjolras glanced at his friend. Combeferre could see the vulnerability in his eyes and he knew how much his friend hated being vulnerable. "It's just…I'm scared. I'm scared that he won't like me. I'm scared that I won't live up to the person that Casey has dreamed me up as. I know that Grantaire said that Casey loves me, but what if he doesn't anymore once he meets me? I'm scared of disappointing him. I'm scared of being a father. I'm scared because if I fail at this, I won't just lose my son forever, but also Grantaire. I already lost Grantaire once, I don't think I could handle losing him again. I just…I love them both, so much, and I just want the three of us to be a family. The last six years be damned."

Combeferre placed a hand on Enjolras' shoulder. "Enj, I understand why you're scared, but you can't let those fears get in the way of the chance of you knowing your son."

"I know."

Combeferre sighed. He handed the baby book back out to him again. "Then, use this. Maybe looking through this will help ease some of your fears." Enjolras took the book this time. "I've got to get ready for my date with Ép, so I'll see you later."

Enjolras nodded, still looking at the book.

Five minutes later, Combeferre had left the apartment again and Enjolras was still looking at the book. He sighed. Enjolras moved the papers away from his lap and onto the coffee table before grabbing the book again. Enjolras sat back, curled up on the couch, and opened it.

On the first page was a picture that was from one of Grantaire's ultrasounds. He saw the gray blob in the middle that had been Casey when he was still inside of Grantaire. Enjolras looked up in the corner. The date on the picture was January 15th, 2012. A few weeks before Casey had been born. Enjolras touched the picture as he felt tears form in his eyes.

He turned the page and recognized Grantaire's handwriting. It was a "Facts about Me" page. Clearly supposed to be written as Casey. The page said:

  * My Name: Casey René Enjolras-Grantaire
  * My Papa: Nicolas Grantaire
  * My Daddy: Julien Enjolras
  * My Birthday: February 17th, 2012
  * Time of My Birth: 10:47 A.M.
  * My Weight: 7 lbs.
  * My Height: 21 in.
  * Location of My Birth: Syosset Hospital
  * Hair Color at Birth: Blonde with slight curl
  * Eye Color at Birth: My daddy's beautiful blue eyes
  * Who Delivered Me: Dr. Stanley Whitehouse
  * Who Was In the Delivery Room: Grandma Clara and Auntie Aimee
  * Did your parents cry: Yes, Papa couldn't stop crying as he held me



It just continued on with a few more facts. Enjolras felt a tear slip from his eyes as he flipped the page. His heart leapt when he saw a picture of Grantaire standing to the side, so there was a view of his stomach. In this picture his stomach was still flat. Next to it was a letter. A letter addressed to him. Enjolras sat back and start reading the letter.

_June 29th, 2011_

_My Enjolras,_

_Let me first, just say that I love you, Enjolras. I always will and always have loved you. I know that by now you have realized that I've left New York and I am not coming back. At least, not for a while anyway. The reason being that I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby, Enjolras. Can you believe it? An actual real life symbol of the love you and I share. I am so happy, but still so sad because you aren't here to share it with me. That's my fault and I will always regret it, but I need you to understand that this is for the best._

_Today, we had the first doctor's appointment. My pregnancy was confirmed by Dr. Stanley Whitehouse, my OB/GYN. So, with it confirmed, it's true, Enjolras! We are having a baby. I guess until it was confirmed by a doctor, I didn't quite believe it, even with me taking three home pregnancy tests. But now, I believe it. I am pregnant and the baby's yours and I'm so excited, but again also sad because you aren't here. Which I'm so very sorry for, my love. I want you here, but you can't be here because I need to protect this baby. You may not understand why I'm doing this now, but I'm sure one day you will. Anyway, back to the appointment. We talked about when my due date (February 18th), both of our families medical history, and many other things. It was a very long, but exciting appointment._

_These letters will keep coming, baby, I promise. Even though you can't be here, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep you in the loop of what's going on with me and our little bug (don't laugh, I called them that once and it just kind of stuck). I won't be sending the letter, but they will be going in little bug's baby book, so there's not just letters, but also pictures for you to see, my love._

_That's all I got time for today, but just remember that I love you, Enjolras._

_Yours,_

_Grantaire_

After reading the letter, Enjolras turned the page and continued looking through the baby book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for chapter seven which will be up in a few minutes.
> 
> Note: The version of "Lavender's Blue" is the one used in the Disney live-action, _Cinderella_ , starring Lily James.


	8. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks are back and they last until chapter 33. Enjoy this chapter!
> 
> You know the drill.

_June 29 th, 2011, seven weeks pregnant_

Grantaire sat in the waiting room of the Syosset Hospital with Aimee. They were there so Grantaire could have his pregnancy confirmed. Grantaire sat there twirling his fingers. Aimee glanced over from her magazine.

"Nervous?" Aimee asked.

Grantaire shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Thinking about Enjolras?"

"Always."

"You know you could go back."

Grantaire shook his head. "Not at the risk that my parents will take my child."

Aimee opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a nurse was calling Grantaire back. Grantaire stood up and followed the nurse. The nurse gave him the pre-checkup before bringing him to an examination room.

"The doctor will be with your shortly." The nurse said.

Grantaire nodded. The nurse left the room. Grantaire sat back in his chair as he waited. He had asked Aimee to wait in the waiting room. Grantaire needed to do this on his own.

It only took five minutes before the door was opening, and a man with a white lab coat and salt and pepper hair was walking in. He was looking at a clip board.

"So, Nicolas Grantaire?" The doctor turned around. He saw Grantaire, but froze. "I'm pretty sure when I delivered you, your parents called you Renée."

Grantaire saw the doctor and realized that it was Dr. Stanley Whitehouse, the doctor that delivered him and had been the family doctor until he moved to Syosset when Grantaire had been two.

"Um…it was, but when I was around six, I started to realize that I was trans. So, I changed my name to Nicolas." Grantaire told him.

"I see." Dr. Whitehouse said. "So, he and him pronouns?"

"Yes." Grantaire said.

"Alright, Nicolas, what can I do for you today?"

"I need you to confirm a pregnancy." Grantaire said. "My pregnancy."

Dr. Whitehouse nodded. "Okay. I can do that. If you want to sit on the exam table, so we can get started?"

After Grantaire sat down on the exam table, Dr. Whitehouse got busy examining him. And about 45 minutes later, Dr. Whitehouse was standing in front of him confirming that he was pregnant. They had a conversation to figure out when Grantaire's due date would be, which they figured would be around February 18th. Then, they discussed both his and Enjolras' families medical history to see if there was a risk for the baby to have any diseases or abnormalities. Finally, Dr. Whitehouse gave him a card to make his next doctor's appointment.

"Congratulations, Nicolas."

"Thanks."

Grantaire left the exam room to walk back into the waiting room. Aimee set down her magazine when she saw him. She quickly walked to him.

"So? Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm pregnant." Grantaire told her.

Aimee hugged him. "That's wonderful."

"Yeah, it is. Let me make my next appointment, then we can head home."

Grantaire walked up to the check-in desk to make the appointment. When that was done, he and Aimee left the hospital and went back home. But during the whole way home, Grantaire didn't say a word. Instead, he just fought back the tears. Whether the tears were from excitement or guilt or just pregnancy hormones, Grantaire wasn't sure.

***

**_September 2017_ **

Enjolras finished looking through the baby book, tears treading down his face. Grantaire really had written down everything. Everything.

He closed the book to wipe the tears away. The pictures of seeing his love's belly grow had been emotional. The ultrasound pictures of Casey, even more so. But the one that had really hit him was the one taken after Casey was born. Grantaire was sweaty and his curls were sticking to his face, but the smile and tears that were streaming down his face as he looked down at the pink faced bundle in his arms. That picture had been everything.

Enjolras set the book back down on the table before pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialed a certain number.

***

Across the city, Grantaire was sitting on the couch, sketching. Casey sat on the carpet, coloring and watching _Peter Pan._

"Papa, look!" Casey said. He held up a picture of a bear that he had colored blue. "It looks like Bear."

Grantaire glanced up and smiled. "Sure does, little bug. What are you going to color next?"

"Um…I don't know." Casey said, laughing.

"Can you color Papa something?" Grantaire asked.

Casey nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, Papa!" He then started searching for a picture to color for his papa.

Grantaire looked down at his own drawing. A drawing of Casey as he sat there coloring, but his concentration was soon taken over by the room being filled with the sound a phone ringing. He set his drawing aside to go and answer his phone. He looked over at Casey before answering it and holding it up to his ear.

"Hello." Grantaire said.

_"Hi, Grantaire. It's Enjolras."_

Grantaire tried not to notice the way his heart leapt in his chest. "Yes. Can I help you?"

 _"I just finished looking through the baby book, and I want to meet him. I want to meet Casey. So, when would be the best time?"_ Enjolras said.

Grantaire could feel the tears in his eyes as those words came out of Enjolras' mouth. "Um, well, Casey doesn't get done with school until 2:30. What time does your school get done with classes?"

 _"My day goes until 3, so if I could come over around 4, would that work?"_ Enjolras asked.

"Yes, of course. What day?"

_"Um…Friday."_

"Friday works for us."

 _"Great. I'll see you Friday then."_ Enjolras said.

"Yes, you will." Grantaire said and the line went dead. A tear fell from Grantaire's eyes as he turned back to look at Casey, who was lost in his own little world.

***

Friday came quickly after that. Casey woke up and came running into his father's room.

"Papa, its Friday!" He said, hopping up onto the bed.

Grantaire sat up and rubbed his eyes. "So, it is, little bug. You want to know what else today is."

Casey looked at his father. "What?"

Grantaire pulled Casey into his arms. "Today is the day you get to meet your daddy."

Casey's blue eyes widened as he looked at Grantaire. "Really?"

"Really, little bug." Grantaire said. "But first, we have to get you ready to go to school."

Casey threw his arms around his father's neck in a hug.

***

Casey had had a hard time focusing at school that day after Grantaire's announcement that morning. When Grantaire picked him up, the time until four seemed to drag until finally there was a knock on the door. Grantaire turned to Casey and signaled for him to come to him. He bent down to be at eye level with him.

"Okay, little bug, that’s going to be Daddy. I want you to wait in my room until I come and get you. I have to talk to Daddy before you meet him."

Casey nodded, clutching Bear to his chest and did as he was told.

Once he heard the door close, Grantaire stood up and took a deep breath. He walked to the door and sighed before opening it. Enjolras was on the other side.

"Please, come in." Grantaire said.

Enjolras took a step inside and walked into the living room. "Where is he?" Echoing the words from when he had come over so Grantaire could explain everything.

Grantaire crossed his arms. "Before I bring him out, I need you to be 100% sure that you're ready for this. Because the moment that I bring him out, fatherhood starts for you. There is no one foot in, one foot out. You are in this. Forever."

Enjolras looked at Grantaire. "I am 100% sure that I am all in. I want to be in his life." _And your life_ , Enjolras thought.

Grantaire nodded. "Okay. I do have to warn you, though, that he does want to meet you, but he might be a little shy at first."

"That's fine."

Grantaire nodded. Then, he disappeared down the hallway. He walked into his bedroom and found Casey sitting on the bed, Bear still in his arms.

"What if he doesn't like me?"

Grantaire sat down next to him. "He will love you. And you know something. I think he's worried about the exact same thing."

"Okay. I'm ready." Casey hopped off the bed, still clutching Bear. Grantaire got off the bed and held out his hand for Casey to take.

Grantaire lead them out of the room and down the hall. He turned the corner, allowing Casey and Enjolras to see each other for the second time. Casey let go of Grantaire's hand to hide behind his leg. Grantaire smiled at their son's shyness.

"Enjolras meet Casey. Casey meet Daddy." Grantaire introduced.

Enjolras walked closer and bent down to be at eye level with his son. "Hi."

Casey stayed behind Grantaire. Grantaire looked down. "It's alright, Casey. Go ahead."

Casey stepped out from behind Grantaire and took a step towards Enjolras. "Hi, Daddy."

Enjolras smiled at his son. Casey threw himself into Enjolras' arms. Enjolras stood up and Casey wrapped his arms tighter around his neck as his legs wrapped as far as they could around him. Enjolras felt a tear fall from his eye. He looked over at Grantaire, who was also crying. He could only imagine how emotional it was for him to see Enjolras and their son meet for the first time.

Grantaire wiped a tear from his own eye. There was a time when he that he would never see this precious moment. He had been dreaming of nothing else since Casey was a baby.

Enjolras unwrapped his arms from Casey. His son pulled his arms from him, too. Enjolras looked at Casey, and it was like looking in the mirror from when he was Casey's age.

"You look just like I did at your age." Enjolras said to his son.

"Papa always said that."

"Well, he was right."

Casey laughed before wrapping his arms around his neck again. Enjolras did the same.

"I have things to show you. Let me down, Daddy." Enjolras set him down. Casey grabbed his father's hand and led him over to his collection of stuffed animals and toys.

One by one, Casey showed him his stuffed animals and toys. The last one being Bear, of course.

"And who's this?" Enjolras asked, pointing at Bear.

"This is Bear. He's my very best friend." Casey clutched his bear to him.

Enjolras' heart melted at the sight. He looked behind him at Grantaire, who was smiling too. He turned his attention back to Casey, who was still piping away.

Grantaire turned around to go into the kitchen to start making dinner. He walked back into the living room once he knew what he going to make.

"Enjolras, are you going to stay for dinner?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras looked at Casey, who was looking at his daddy with big blue puppy dog eyes. And from his own experience, Grantaire knew that Enjolras stood no chance against those eyes.

"Yeah, I will."

Grantaire smiled, turning back to go back into the kitchen.

***

About a half hour later, the chicken breasts were in the oven, as well as the baked potatoes. The corn was being heated on the stove. And Grantaire was making a special treat for Casey for dessert. As he made the treat, he watched Enjolras walk into the kitchen.

"That kid has energy."

Grantaire snorted. "Well, he does have your genes."

Enjolras chuckled. "Yeah, he does." They were both quiet for a moment before Enjolras spoke up again. "I have a question. Why did he name the blue bear, "Bear?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire chuckled. "He was two when he received it from Aimee. He just started calling it "Bear", so the name stuck. Just like calling him, "little bug", did for me. I've tried other nicknames, but none of them worked as well." He explained. "Also, you really shouldn't have come in here."

"Why? He's playing." Enjolras replied.

Grantaire raised an eyebrow. "5, 4, 3, 2…" He doesn't even make it to one before they hear.

"DADDY!" Casey yelled as he stomped into the kitchen and grabbed Enjolras' hand, pulling him back into the living room.

Grantaire couldn't help the laugh that escaped when Casey forced Enjolras to sit and he crawled into his lap. Enjolras holding the coloring book as Casey colored. Grantaire's heart warmed at the sight and watched them until he forced himself to turn his attention to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly from here on out, this story consists of family fluff with moments of angst sprinkled here and there. Chapters eight and nine will be posted Monday!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	9. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Nope, nada, zip!

_August 22 nd, 2011, 14 weeks pregnant_

Grantaire was waiting in the exam room with Clara for Dr. Whitehouse. Grantaire had started showing, but only barely. It was only his second appointment, but after doing some research, he had discovered that he should be able to hear his baby's heartbeat now, so he hoped the doctor would allow him to hear it.

And since Enjolras wasn't there to share it with him, Grantaire had thought of a way to make it up to him. He was going to create a baby book for their child. Where he explained everything about his pregnancy with letters and pictures. He hoped that it would be able to give something back to Enjolras.

In the two months, it was extremely difficult to keep his mind off of Enjolras. He would have started college that day. They both would have. They would have been together. And Enjolras would have known about their baby. But – no, he needed to stop thinking about it.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Clara, calling his name.

"'Aire!" Clara said. "Your name is being called."

They were called back and after the pre-checkup, they only had to wait for about five more minutes before Dr. Whitehouse came into the room. He asked Grantaire to get up onto the examining table and they would get right to work. Grantaire did what was asked and the doctor gave him a full examination, making sure everything was alright with him and the baby.

"So, Nicolas, are you ready to hear the heartbeat of your baby?" Dr. Whitehouse asked. Grantaire nodded at the doctor.

The doctor told him to lay down and to roll up his shirt. Dr. Whitehouse grabbed the handheld ultrasound baby heartbeat monitor. He put some ultrasound gel on Grantaire's belly and started to move it around, listening for the heartbeat. He smiled when he found it.

"There it is." Dr. Whitehouse said.

Grantaire looked at him. "Where is what?"

Dr. Whitehouse turned it up and let Grantaire have a listen. "Your baby's heartbeat."

Grantaire listened to the sound. It sounded like the thundering of hooves from galloping horses. He felt tears rushing to his eyes. "Are they okay?"

Dr. Whitehouse took a better listen. He looked down at the monitor and said that the beats were 130 beats per minute which signaled a healthy baby's heart. "Your baby is just fine. Do you want to take a recording of it?"

"Clara, can you…?" Grantaire handed his grandmother his phone. Clara had put him on her phone plan after he came to live with them.

"Sure, sweetie." Clara opened his phone, opened the recording app, and made a recording of the baby's heartbeat.

Dr. Whitehouse allowed them to listen for a little while longer before turning off the monitor. He handed Grantaire a tissue, so he could wipe the gel from his stomach and let his shirt fall. His doctor gave him another card for his next appointment. Then, they left the hospital.

***

That night, Grantaire laid on his bed. His phone in one hand, the locket open in the other. He had been listening to the heartbeat recording on repeat ever since he had laid down. Grantaire stared at Enjolras' face in the locket.

"Thank you, Enjolras, for this wonderful gift. I love you."

He kissed the locket before he settled in to continue listening to the heartbeat.

***

**_September 2017_ **

It was Sunday, two days after Casey and Enjolras met. Enjolras had stayed until after dinner on Friday and Saturday, but after Casey made a fuss about his daddy having to leave, Enjolras promised him that he would help Grantaire put him to bed that night.

Enjolras had arrived at 11 in the morning, and had spent the last three hours, coloring with Casey. Casey had spent the morning before Enjolras came organizing what pictures he would like his father to color. Grantaire had been surprised that Casey hadn't pulled out the book of the drawings he had made for Enjolras, but when he asked Casey about it, he had said that he was waiting for the right time.

Aimee and Clara had come over for dinner the night before in order to catch up with Enjolras. They had loved watching Enjolras and Casey interact.

"They seem to be getting along." Clara said as Grantaire started setting the table.

"Yeah, they are. Casey is quite taken with him and vice versa."

Aimee nodded. "What about your relationship with him?"

"What about it?" Grantaire asked, but then looked between the two and saw identical looks. He checked to make sure that Enjolras couldn't hear what he was about to say. "Of course, I want to be with Enjolras again. I'm still deeply in love with him, and I'm sure that I always will be. But I don't think that matters right now."

"Why not?"

"Because he still hasn't forgiven me for keeping Casey from him. I don't know if he'll ever be able to. Not to mention, that the more important relationship right now, is his relationship with Casey. Mine and his can wait." Grantaire told them.

"But you two still need to talk about your relationship because regardless of whether or not, you two get back together, you two are still the parents of Casey." Aimee reminded him.

"I know, but not yet. I want him to spend more time with Casey and adjust to the drastic change to his life." Grantaire said.

As he watched his son and Enjolras sit and color, it was hard to not be reminded of that conversation. Grantaire wanted so badly for the three of them to be a family. Both of them tucking Casey into bed, Casey running into their bedroom in the morning and hopping on the bed to wake them both up. He and Enjolras as in love with each other as they ever were as they parented Casey. Just them being a family. He wanted it so badly, but he couldn't have it, not yet. Enjolras' relationship with Casey was more important than their relationship. He would talk to Enjolras about theirs, but not yet. It wasn't the right time.

Grantaire pulled his attention from his son and Enjolras, and back to the email that he was writing to Mr. Landry. The gallery was scheduled to open on October 28th. It was September 12th, giving Grantaire a little over a month to get the gallery ready.

He worked in the gallery from 9:30 to 4:30 Monday and Tuesday and 9:30 to 12:30 on Wednesday and Thursday. He had organized that schedule with Mr. Landry before they moved back. His schedule allowed for him to take Casey into school every day, but have Aimee or Clara pick him up on Monday and Tuesday. He would pick him up on Wednesday and Thursday. He didn't go in to work on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday since those were family days.

When he saw Casey run into the kitchen, Grantaire looked up. Enjolras not very far behind him.

"Casey, what are you doing?" Grantaire asked.

"Just getting a glass of water, Papa." Casey said as he waited for Enjolras to fill a cup and hand it to him.

Grantaire had pulled Enjolras aside on Saturday before Aimee and Clara arrived to go over the things that he needed to know about Casey. During that time, Enjolras had also asked why Casey didn't have a tablet like most kids had nowadays. It was for the simple reason that Casey didn't want one and much preferred coloring in a coloring book or playing with his toys.

He had also given Enjolras the grand tour of the apartment. Showing him where things were in the kitchen, where Casey's bedroom was, the bathroom, and everything else that he had needed to know about the apartment. Grantaire had also given Enjolras the list of numbers for the gallery, Clara's cell, Aimee's cell, the name and number of Casey's pediatrician and dentist. He had also told him that Casey was allergic to peanuts, just like Enjolras.

"Okay, little bug." Grantaire said. Enjolras gave him a small smile and Grantaire returned it before turning back to his work.

Casey all the water before handing the cup back to Enjolras. "All done, Daddy."

Enjolras took the cup and set it in the sink. Casey took his hand and pulled him back into the living room.

Grantaire finished up his email and decided that his work was finished for the day. He put his laptop and the papers that were sitting next to him in their folder before putting them in his bag with his laptop. He then got started on making dinner. Grantaire wracked through his brain of foods that Casey would eat. That's when an idea struck him.

They would make homemade pizza for dinner.

He looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:25, so they had time. It only took two and a half hours. They had dinner at 5:30, Casey had his bath at 6:30, and he was in bed normally by 8. Grantaire checked to make sure they had the ingredients and they did. He smiled before walking into the living room.

"Little bug, how do you feel about homemade pizza for dinner?" Grantaire asked knowing that Casey wouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity to help him.

Casey looked up from his coloring page and nodded, enthusiastically. "Can I help, Papa?"

"I don't know. That depends on if Daddy would be willing to help." Grantaire smirked.

Enjolras looked up at him before mildly glaring at him. Casey looked at him with wide eyes. "Please, Daddy."

Enjolras sighed, "Yes, I'll help."

Casey shrieked excitedly as he stood up.

"Okay, little bug. First, help Daddy put away the coloring supplies. Second, you have to wash your hands before we start." Grantaire said, turning back into the kitchen.

They finished putting all the coloring supplies away before Enjolras told Casey to go wash his hands. Casey ran into the kitchen and asked for his papa's help. Grantaire lifted his son and helped him wash his hands.

"Do you want to grab Papa's cookbook from the pantry?" Grantaire asked Casey. Casey nodded before going to grab the cookbook. When Grantaire looked up and over at Enjolras, he was shaking his head. "What?"

"You know 'Ferre and Courf have a rule that I'm not allowed in a kitchen to cook. You were there when the rule was made." Enjolras said.

"Yes, but you have a son now. You'll have to learn to cook. Don't worry I'll teach you."

Casey came back with the cookbook. He handed it to Grantaire. "Here you go, Papa."

"Thanks, little bug." Grantaire said as he opened it up to the pizza section. "Can you bring me the ingredients with Daddy's help as I list them off?"

Casey nodded. Grantaire started to list off the ingredients for the dough and Enjolras helped Casey gather them. They'd get to the toppings later. When they had all the dough ingredients, Grantaire lifted Casey up onto the counter. He noticed Enjolras' look of disapproval.

Grantaire turned and looked at him. "He'll be fine. I'll be standing here the whole time. I've done it multiple times. Just trust me."

Enjolras didn't say anything as he watched them start making the dough. Enjolras trusted Grantaire to know what to do with Casey. He had spent five years taking care of him, Enjolras had only had two and half days. He knew that he'd learn with time, but he still couldn't help the jealousy that bubbled inside him.

The baby book had helped him forgive Grantaire since it had given him a sense of Casey's first five years. However, as he watched how Grantaire and Casey interacted, it made him sad because he didn't have that with Casey, yet. Enjolras knew that his relationship with Casey would grow over time which he was fine with, but it also broke his heart because it meant that fixing his relationship with Grantaire would be put on hold, so that it didn't overshadow his and Casey's. Enjolras understood why it had to be that way, but not being able to touch or kiss Grantaire was achingly painful.

Enjolras watched them make the dough for the pizza. It had been ages since he had had homemade, so he was anxious to try the one that the love of his life and his son made. He smiled when he saw Casey covered in flour as Grantaire set him back down on the floor before putting the dough somewhere to rise.

Grantaire helped clean Casey up, but all Enjolras could think about was how adorable his son was and how much he loved him. After he had met him, Enjolras hated the thought of being separated from him.

Grantaire turned back to the cookbook. "Okay, so while the dough rises, Casey, do you want to get the toppings?"

Casey nodded and looked at Enjolras. "Will you help, Daddy?"

"Of course, sweetie."

Grantaire started rattling off the list off the toppings. He skipped over the onions since Casey didn't like them. After that, it was another hour before the pizza was in the oven. Grantaire cleaned up the kitchen, did the dishes, and set the table while they waited for the pizza to get done. Enjolras sat at one of the dining room table chairs with Casey in his lap as he played with Bear.

Once the pizza was done, Grantaire took it out of the oven. It was perfect. He cut the pizza into slices before bringing it over to the table. Enjolras moved Casey to his own chair. Grantaire placed a slice of pizza on Casey's plate and cut into bite size pieces. Casey started eating right after Grantaire was done.

When dinner was over, Grantaire finished cleaning the kitchen up. Enjolras played with Casey a little more until Grantaire called him for his bath. Grantaire grabbed Casey's pajamas and got the water running. Casey came into the bathroom, Enjolras right behind him and stopping in the doorway. Grantaire checked to make sure the water was the right temperature before putting the plug in to keep the water in. He turned to Casey and helped undress him, and then Casey stepped into the tub and sat down. Enjolras watched as Grantaire lathered their son's hair with shampoo. Then, did the same with the conditioner.

"Now you can play." Grantaire told his son as he stood up. He walked toward Enjolras.

"You don't wash his body." Enjolras said.

"I do. I just let him play a little before I do, plus since I leave the conditioner in for a few minutes, this gives it time to sink in. Since his curls get as tangled as both of ours, I only wash his hair like two or three times a week." Enjolras nodded in understanding. "Do you want to watch him? I'm going to turn down his bed."

"Sure."

Grantaire left Enjolras in the hallway and walked into Casey's bedroom. He turned down the covers, turned the lamp on the bedside table. When that was done, Grantaire walked back out into the hallway where Enjolras was still watching their son like a hawk.

"When I said "watch him", I didn't mean like a hawk." He joked.

"I know, but I just couldn't stop myself. He's in a tub of water. God knows what could happen." Enjolras said.

 _Enjolras is going to be just as protective of Casey as I am._ Grantaire thought, walking into the bathroom. "Come on, little bug. Play time is over."

"Okay, Papa." Casey put his toys back in the toy hanger that was in the tub.

Grantaire put soap on the loofah before handing it to Casey, so he could wash his body. When his body was washed, Grantaire rinsed out the conditioner. He washed Casey down one last time to make sure all the soap was off.

"All clean, Papa!" Casey exclaimed.

Grantaire chuckled as he grabbed Casey's towel from the hanger. He pulled the plug of the bathtub to let the water drain out. He wrapped the towel around Casey and helped him out.

"Okay, so I'm going to dry you off and Daddy's going to help you into your pajamas." Grantaire said. He gestured for Enjolras to come closer.

Grantaire helped dry him off. As he gently dried his hair with the towel, Casey laughed because of the sound effects Grantaire was making. Enjolras couldn't help joining in the laughter. When Casey was dried off, Grantaire stepped aside and let Enjolras take over. Casey held onto Enjolras' shoulders as Enjolras helped him dress. Enjolras smiled when he saw that the pajamas that Casey wore were footy pajamas.

Grantaire could see that Casey was growing sleepy. "Bedtime."

"But I'm not sleepy.

"Yes, you are."

"But if I go to sleep, Daddy is going to leave." Casey pouted.

Enjolras felt his heart twist. He turned to Casey to look at him. "Sweetie, you have school in the morning, so does Daddy. I promise that I'll stay until you fall asleep. I'll even FaceTime Papa in the morning, so you'll be able to say good morning to me, okay?"

"Okay, but when will you be back?" Casey asked.

"Um…" Enjolras looked at Grantaire, who shrugged as if to say that it was up to him. Casey went to bed by 8. He didn't get out of school until 3 and he would have papers to grade. But he was willing to sacrifice his grading time for the sake of his son. "If it's alright with Papa, I'll come over for supper and help put you to bed again tomorrow night."

"Of course."

Casey smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'm ready for bed." He grabbed Bear and Enjolras picked him up. Enjolras followed Grantaire into Casey's bedroom. He laid Casey down on the bed, so Grantaire could put the covers over him. Then, he let Enjolras tuck him in.

"Do you want Papa or Daddy to read the story?" Grantaire asked, grabbing the book of fairytales from the bedside table.

"Um…Daddy since you sing the lullaby, Papa"

Grantaire nodded. "Alright." He handed the storybook to Enjolras.

"What story is it?" Enjolras asked, opening the book.

"Just pick any one."

Enjolras picked the story with the princess in the tower trapped by a dragon which just happened to be Casey's favorite story in the book. Grantaire sat on the bed as Enjolras laid down next to Casey, so he could see the pictures. After about twenty minutes, Enjolras was finished with story.

"Can you read another one?" Casey said, half-asleep.

"Little bug, you know the rule. One story, and then the lullaby." Grantaire said, taking the book from Enjolras. Casey nodded and snuggled down under the covers. "Close your eyes." Grantaire started combing through Casey's hair. He started singing softly. _♫Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green, when I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen…♫_

After he sang through it three times, Casey was out. He slowly removed his hand from Casey's hair and stood up. He kissed his son's forehead; Enjolras did the same. He turned off the lamp and turned on the nightlight. He slowly walked out of the room with Enjolras following. When they had both left the room, Grantaire closed the door, but left it open a little.

"Do you always sing him to sleep?" Enjolras asked as they walked into the kitchen.

Grantaire nodded, "It's been the only way he's been able to fall asleep since he was a baby. It was Clara who started it." He noticed Enjolras looking interested in the story. "Two months after he was born, he had been crying all night and all day. I was exhausted because I hadn't gotten any sleep. Clara took him from my arms when I couldn't get him to settle down. She started singing that song as she rocked him and he was asleep within moments. I've sung it to him every night since."

Enjolras smiled a fond smile and it made Grantaire heart warm. Silence fell around them for a few minutes until Enjolras broke it.

"Have you thought about the rest of our friends meeting him?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Well, I think they should. Our friends are going to love him."

"I know, they will. I'm just nervous for their reaction." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "Their reaction?"

Grantaire nodded. "I don't know if they'll understand."

"I'm sure they will."

"Will they?" Grantaire asked. "You didn't. Not at first. Which like I said, I don't blame you. It was a shitty thing for me to do, but you came around. I'm not sure they will."

Enjolras sighed. He placed his hand over Grantaire's. "Grantaire, I understand why you did it, I do. I forgave you the moment I was done looking through our son's baby book. Our friends will forgive you, too."

Grantaire looked down at their hands before looking up into Enjolras' eyes. He wanted to lean forward and kiss Enjolras, so badly, but he couldn't. Casey was more important. Casey had to come to first. He would always come first. Grantaire reluctantly pulled his hand from Enjolras'. He didn't fail to notice the look of hurt flash in Enjolras' eyes.

"Um…I should probably go." Enjolras said.

"Okay. I guess, we'll see you tomorrow."

Enjolras nodded as he walked towards the door. "Like I promised Casey, I'll FaceTime you so he can say good morning to me. Text me when he wakes up."

"I will do that." Grantaire said, following after him.

"And will you think about telling our friends, please. It just doesn't feel right having them not know. I told 'Ferre, but he promised not to say anything. Will you at least think about it?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Goodnight, Grantaire." Enjolras walked out the door.

"Goodnight, Enjolras."

Enjolras smiled before walking down the hall. Grantaire watched him until he disappeared around the corner. He closed the door and sighed before walking into his bedroom to get ready for bed.


	10. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, nope, nada, zip.

_October 12 th, 2011, 22 weeks pregnant_

Grantaire had had his first ultrasound that day and he had also discovered that he and Enjolras were going to have a boy. From the moment that Dr. Whitehouse had said that he was having a boy, Grantaire knew immediately what the baby's name was going to be. Casey René. After both his and Enjolras' grandfathers. To him, it was the only option for a name, but he was planning to keep it to himself until Casey was born.

He got home from the appointment and went to put the ultrasound picture next to the picture of him and Enjolras on his bedside table. Then, Grantaire grabbed the baby book to continue putting things in. He went into the living room. Clara was sitting in her armchair, knitting a baby blanket for her great-grandson. She looked up when she saw him come in.

"Working on the baby book?" Clara asked.

Grantaire only nodded. He opened it up, uncapped his pen, and started writing another letter to Enjolras. As he wrote, Aimee walked in and sat down in the armchair next to Clara.

"How do you feel about starting work on the nursery tomorrow?" Aimee asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Just then, Grantaire felt a kick to his side and smiled. His hand found its way to the side that Casey had kicked him in. He had felt his son kick many times now, but every time, it felt surreal. "Hello there, little one." He whispered quietly.

He sat back to write his letter until his attention was taken by how quiet his grandmother and aunt had become. Clara was watching him with observant eyes.

"'Nic, there's something I have to tell you." Clara said.

Grantaire looked up at her. "Yes."

"My contact in New York contacted me with information about Enjolras."

Grantaire felt his heart pinch. "What information?"

Clara sighed. It was clear to Grantaire that she was having a difficult time telling him this information. "'Nic, Enjolras dropped out of Columbia."

Grantaire's eyes widened. "What?"

"According to my contact, he got too caught up in searching for you that he just didn't care anymore and dropped out." Clara said.

Grantaire shook his head. "No. No!"

"'Nic, I'm sorry."

Grantaire set the book on the coffee table, stood up from the couch, and ran to his bedroom. Tears already streaming down his face. He closed the door and fell against it. Grantaire slid down and brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his stomach as he cried.

Enjolras dropped out of Columbia because he wasn't there. It made him feel even guiltier, but Grantaire couldn't go home. Not yet. Yes, his parents had left, but they could return at any time. Then, there was the fact that Clara had pulled strings to allow him to attend college at the Syosset University. He couldn't just leave after that. It would show that he was ungrateful. And overall, he needed to protect their baby. That was the whole point. He would do anything to ensure that their baby wasn't taken away from them. If that meant, he couldn’t return home, yet. Then, so be it.

Grantaire wiped the tears away. He stood up and walked around his bed to the bedside table to grab the ultrasound picture and his phone. He unlocked it and went to the contacts. Grantaire scrolled until he found Enjolras' number. Did he dare? They had made sure that there was no way to track the number, so he should be in the clear of that. And he just needed to hear Enjolras' voice.

 _Screw it!_ Grantaire thought as he tapped the name, held the phone up to his ear, and heard the phone ring. Then, after two rings, a voice was heard. The voice that he loved so much.

 _"Hello?"_ Enjolras asked.

***

Enjolras had been reading the scrapbook that he and Grantaire had created at the start of their relationship. It was filled with the secrets that neither of them ever wanted to share unless it was with each other. And not just secrets, but also pages upon pages of memories. It was _their_ book and no one knew it that it existed except for them.

He was reading the page that Grantaire had written that went into detail about his parents' abuse and transphobia. As Enjolras read it again, he felt his heart twist. Despite stopping his search for Grantaire, Enjolras trusted his gut that his leaving had something to do with his parents, but he just didn't know what they could have possibly done that would warrant Grantaire's leaving. He just abided by the hope that Grantaire would one day return to him.

But his reading was interrupted by the sounds of his phone buzzing. Enjolras set the scrapbook down and reached for his phone. He looked at the caller ID, but was confused when it just said _Unknown_. Enjolras slid his finger across the screen and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" Enjolras asked. But he heard nothing on the other side. "Hello?" He still didn't hear anything on the other side. But once again, his gut told him that it was Grantaire. "Grantaire?"

***

Grantaire was sitting there, staring at the ultrasound picture with tears in his eyes as he listened to Enjolras ask if the caller was Grantaire. He did his best to keep the sounds of his crying from Enjolras on the other line.

He continued to listen to the words that Enjolras was saying.

_"Grantaire, if this is you, just remember that I love you. I love you with all my heart. And just please come home. Come home to me."_

And with that, Grantaire heard the sound of a dial tone. Then, after that, he started crying again as he held the locket and picture to his chest.

***

**_September 2017_ **

Grantaire's alarm went off and he groaned into the pillow before getting up. He quickly took a shower before getting dressed. He went into Casey's bedroom and saw that he was still asleep. Grantaire walked over to the bed and gently shook him awake.

Casey slowly opened his eyes. "Good morning, little bug."

Casey sat up, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. Seeing Casey with his blonde curls going every which way, reminded Grantaire of Enjolras and his bed head when he woke up. Speaking of Enjolras, Grantaire remembered that he had to text him that they were awake, so he could FaceTime Casey before they left to take him to school.

"Let's get you dressed, so you can eat breakfast and talk to Daddy before you have to go to school." Grantaire said.

Casey smiled and got right out of bed at the mention of his other father. Grantaire chuckled as he helped his son pick out his clothes and got him dressed.

"I love you, little bug." Grantaire said, once Casey was dressed. He bent down to be at eye level with him.

Casey smiled at his papa. "I love you, too, Papa." Casey wrapped his small arms around Grantaire's neck.

Grantaire stood up and carried him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Toast with cinnamon." Casey said, once he was situated in his seat.

"Okay."

Grantaire walked behind the island and as he did so, he pulled out his phone.

**_Grantaire (6:30 A.M.): We are alive and kicking over here, so you can call at any time._ **

He received a thumbs up in a reply, and a few seconds later, there was a FaceTime call coming through. Grantaire answered it.

"Hello, Enjolras." Grantaire said as he set the phone on the table, so Casey and Enjolras had clear view of each other.

"Hi, Grantaire. Where's my adorable little son at? I can't see him." Enjolras teased as he covered his eyes.

Casey looked up at his father to say. "I'm right here, Daddy."

"Oh, there you are." Enjolras removed his hand from his face.

Grantaire smiled, affectionately, before he turned to make Casey his breakfast, letting the father and son have their conversation. When Casey's breakfast was done, Grantaire brought it to him with a glass of apple juice before going to get himself a bowl of cereal.

"So, where's Combeferre?" Grantaire asked as Casey ate.

"He stayed over at Éponine's last night."

"Do you have any preferences on what you'd like to eat for supper tonight?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras shook his head. "Whatever Casey wants is fine with me."

"Casey, do you know what you want?"

"Pasta!" Casey cried.

"What kind of pasta?" Grantaire asked.

"Chicken with the white sauce." Casey said.

Grantaire ruffled Casey's hair as he smiled. "Okay. Chicken Alfredo it is."

Casey clapped his hands in excitement, both his parents chuckled. They finished eating and Grantaire cleaned up the kitchen. He grabbed his son's pirate backpack.

"Come on, little bug, or we're going to be late." Grantaire said.

"But Daddy…" Casey pouted.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. I will be there for dinner, okay? Now, go with Papa." Enjolras assured their son.

"Okay, I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, buddy. I have to go too, so I'll see you guys later." Enjolras said before he ended the call.

Casey walked over to Grantaire to put on his backpack, handing Grantaire his phone first. Grantaire reminded Casey that Aimee would be picking him up as they walked down to the car.

After dropping off Casey, Grantaire headed into work. Over the course of the last few weeks, Casey had gotten better about Grantaire leaving after dropping him off. But that first week, Casey would not let go of Grantaire. Casey had ended up crying, and eventually his teacher, Miss Lee, had told Grantaire to just go and his son would be fine. Grantaire had hated leaving him there, but knew it was necessary. They had been separated multiple times because of Grantaire's work, but he had always left Casey with Aimee and Clara. Being left with people Casey didn't know always garnered reactions like the ones the first week of school.

As Grantaire went throughout his day, he thought about whether or not he was ready to tell his friends about Casey. But they also deserved an answer to why he had left and to know their surrogate nephew. He decided that he'd tell them at the next meeting and would tell Enjolras his decision at dinner that night.

***

Later that night, after dinner, Grantaire had let Enjolras give Casey his bath while he turned down the bed. Grantaire was still in their son's bedroom when Enjolras carried Casey into the bedroom.

"He's almost asleep. I think just the singing the lullaby will do it." Enjolras said as he laid Casey down on the bed.

Grantaire pulled the covers over Casey before lying down next to him, started running his fingers through his hair and sang the lullaby.

Once Casey was asleep, his parents left the room, with Grantaire leaving the door open a crack, just like every night. They walked into the kitchen. Enjolras turned to face Grantaire.

"So, four day evaluation, how have I been doing do far?"

"You're doing fine, I swear. Casey adores you, but that was a given fact. And you clearly adore him." Grantaire said.

"But there are still things that I don't know and-" Enjolras started but was cut off.

"You'll learn with time, Enjolras. Do you really think that I know everything about how to be a parent because I sure as hell don't? If you have a question, just ask me. It'll be fine, okay?"

Enjolras nodded before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. When he let out the breath, Enjolras opened his eyes again. They stood in silence for a while until Grantaire broke it.

"I thought about what you said about telling our friends, and I've decided that it's time for them to know. The next meeting is on Wednesday, right?" Grantaire asked.

"Yes. They are always on Wednesday for its only day all of us have free. Are you going to bring Casey?" Enjolras asked.

"It's at 6:30, right?" Grantaire asked. Enjolras nodded. "I'm not sure since that cuts into his bath time. When I came to the meeting that night, I had Aimee and Clara watch him."

"I can move the time." Enjolras said. "5:30? I'll keep it short. You can get him home, he can get his bath, and still be in bed by 8." Enjolras could see Grantaire think about it. "Please, Grantaire. If you don't bring him on Wednesday, I won't get to see him, and now that I have, I don't want a day to go by without seeing him."

"I don't either." Grantaire said. "Okay, I'll bring him, but first, you have to promise me that we'll tell them together."

Enjolras nodded. "I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be back with more on Wednesday!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	11. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: You know the drill.

_October 24, 2011, 24 weeks pregnant_

Grantaire stood in the room that would eventually be his son's nursery. Aimee was busy painting the room a light periwinkle. Grantaire hadn't wanted the nursery to be painted blue, but when she showed him what color she had picked out, he caved. Aimee had been painting all day and was currently on the second coat. They had decided that the carpet would stay since it matched the room, so old newspapers and plastic was laid down over it, so that no paint would drip on it.

Grantaire was in there because he was taking pictures for the baby book. He was currently in the process of telling Enjolras about how they were going to design the room and he wanted to take pictures, so that he could see the process.

Aimee glanced over at him. "Aren't you supposed to be working on school work?"

Grantaire took another picture. Then, looked at his aunts. "Yes, but I'm taking a small break to take, print off, and put these pictures in the baby book."

Aimee simply smiled before getting back to work, letting Grantaire do what he needed to do.

Soon Grantaire had enough pictures. He walked into the office that Clara had and plugged the memory card into the photo printer. He then got started on printing his pictures. As the pictures printed, Grantaire ran his hand over his belly. It was incredibly obvious to anyone that saw him that he was pregnant now, but when they went out in public, Grantaire did his best to hide it. He couldn't take the risk of anyone contacting his parents and telling them where he was.

"I love you, little bug." Grantaire said as he finished printing the photos and made his way back into his bedroom to start putting them into the baby book.

***

**_September 2017_ **

On Wednesday, Enjolras arrived at the Musain. He and Grantaire had agreed that telling their friends would be the first thing on the agenda that night. Grantaire would be the last one to arrive to not let any of their friends see Casey until they were ready.

When Enjolras had stopped over at their apartment before heading to the Musain, he had been able to feel Grantaire's nervousness, even when he was standing 10 feet away from him.

"It will be alright. I'll be right there with you." Enjolras had assured.

"Thanks."

Enjolras nodded. He wanted nothing more than to touch him, but he knew he shouldn't. "Well, I'm going to head out. I'll be seeing you soon. Casey, I'm leaving."

"No, you can't." Casey protested.

"You'll be seeing me again in a little over an hour, okay?"

Casey pouted. "Okay."

"Give Daddy a hug." Enjolras pulled Casey to him and lifted him up as he hugged him. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Daddy." Casey said into Enjolras' neck. Enjolras set Casey down before heading to the door. "I'll see you soon."

With that, Enjolras left the apartment.

"Come on, little bug. Time to eat." Grantaire said.

Casey nodded and walked to the table to get in his chair.

***

Finally, it was time for them to head to the Musain. Grantaire had been surprised when Enjolras had told him that their friends had agreed to the time change with no questions asked. He had thought for sure one of them would ask.

When they arrived, Grantaire texted Enjolras that they were there. Enjolras quickly replied that everyone else was there, so it was okay to come on up.

"Alright, little bug. This is it. Are you ready to meet some of Papa and Daddy's friends?" Grantaire bent down to ask him. Casey nodded. "Okay, let's go. Take my hand."

Casey took his father's hand and they walked up the steps. Grantaire could hear Enjolras talking on the other side of the door once they reached the top. Grantaire listened for Enjolras to give the cue.

On the other side of the door, Enjolras called the meeting to order. Everyone's attention turned to him, and for the first time, Enjolras was hit with a wave of nervousness, but it was gone quickly. He took a deep breath.

"The first order of business. I have something to tell you. Well, actually, we have something to tell you." He said as he walked toward the closed door.

"We? Who's we?" Courfeyrac asked the door.

Enjolras opened the door and smiled. Casey beamed and let go of Grantaire's hand. He screamed, "Daddy" and jumped into Enjolras' arms. Enjolras held him with a smile on his face. Grantaire slowly entered the room.

"Daddy?" Éponine asked in shock.

Casey had his head buried in his father's neck as Enjolras looked at his friends and nodded. "Yes. Guys, this is Casey. Mine and Grantaire's son."

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at Grantaire, who was shaking. Enjolras noticed and walked to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder before whispering.

"It's alright."

Grantaire took a deep breath. "Casey was the reason that I left six years ago. My parents threatened to take him away. I couldn't let that happen, so I left. I just…I was so scared. I'm so sorry." The group looked at Grantaire with shocked expressions. But their looks on their faces made Grantaire want to run. "If you guys hate me now, I understand."

Courfeyrac shook his head from the shock. He stood up and walked to Grantaire. "We could never hate you, R. But you will need to explain more about what happened."

Grantaire nodded before going to sit down with the rest of the group. Enjolras sat down next to him with Casey on his lap. Grantaire handed Enjolras Casey's backpack of things for him to do. Casey pulled out a coloring book and crayons to color with as Grantaire explained.

After Grantaire explained everything, all of his friends took turns introducing themselves to Casey, who with every introduction curled deeper in Enjolras' chest. Enjolras looked at his friends and apologized.

Grantaire looked at them to say. "Don't worry. It's nothing against you. He's just incredibly shy."

They nodded before getting back to their previous conversations. Enjolras turned to Grantaire. "I have to finish the rest of the meeting, so…"

Grantaire took Casey from Enjolras, so he could finish the meeting. Grantaire watched Enjolras lead the meeting with such grace and passion that it made his heart hurt. So, instead he turned his attention to Casey, who was coloring a picture of a lion and her cubs.

As he watched his son color, Grantaire couldn't help but feel the weight that was lifted off his chest now that his friends knew about Casey and why he had left. They had all seemed genuine in their forgiveness, so that was a plus. The last people to tell were Enjolras' parents, but Grantaire was going to wait until Enjolras brought them up before even thinking about telling them.


	12. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ditto from the last chapter!

_October 26, 2011, 24 weeks pregnant_

Grantaire sat at the kitchen table, snapping green beans while Clara got the meatloaf ready and Aimee was chopping up potatoes. Clara and Aimee were also busy discussing possible baby names unaware that Grantaire had already chosen his son's name.

"What about Pierre?" Clara suggested.

"No. I distinctly remember Enjolras saying that he hated that name." Aimee retorted. "What about Louis?"

Grantaire had mostly stayed silent until Aimee suggested that name. "Absolutely not. Enjolras hates Louis more than he hates Pierre."

"Alright. Well, you come up with a name then."

Grantaire rolled his eyes and decided to be truthful. He smiled at both of them. "Um…not to make you feel bad, but I've had his name picked out since I found out that I'm having a boy."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Clara asked.

"Because I want to keep it to myself until I give birth."

But instead of dropping the subject, Clara and Aimee started to guess what the name could be. Continuing with their respective tasks as they did so. Grantaire's hand went to his belly before he went back to snapping green beans, not saying a word regarding their guesses.

***

**_October 2017_ **

A week after telling their friends, Enjolras was back at Grantaire and Casey's apartment for dinner. Grantaire had invited Clara and Aimee over, too. Enjolras was with Casey in the living room while Clara and Aimee were in the kitchen, helping Grantaire cook dinner.

"So, have you talked to him yet?" Aimee asked.

"About what?" Grantaire asked as he stirred the noodles for lasagna.

Aimee crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "You know what about. Your relationship with him."

Grantaire sighed. "Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"Yes, but you have yet to have the conversation with him."

"It's a far more complicated conversation than what you think it is."

"How? You still love him and he still loves you. It can't be that complicated." Aimee said

Grantaire sighed, "It's complicated because he's still getting to know his son. Our relationship can wait until one has been established between him and Casey."

"Alright, but you two should at least have a conversation about to make sure you are both on the same page." Clara suggested.

Grantaire looked at Clara before agreeing. He glanced in the direction of Casey and Enjolras before turning back to finish making dinner.

***

Once they had eaten, the kitchen was clean, and any leftovers were put into the refrigerator, Clara and Aimee took their leave. Grantaire called Casey for his bath while Enjolras turned Casey's bed down.

After his bath and Grantaire helped him into his pajamas, Casey asked him a question. "Papa, can you read the story of the frog and the princess tonight?"

"Sure, little bug, but do you want me or Daddy to read it to you?" Grantaire asked.

"You. Daddy is good at doing the voices for the other stories, but only you can do the frog voice." Casey told his papa.

Grantaire chuckled as he stood up to put Casey's towel on the hook. "Alright, but first brush your teeth."

Casey did as he was told as Grantaire stood watch. Casey was finishing up just as Enjolras came in.

"He is quite extraordinary." Enjolras said as they both watched their son.

"Well, considering who his daddy is, I'm not surprised." Grantaire smiled at him.

Enjolras blushed. "His papa isn't bad himself, either."

Grantaire wasn't able to reply because Casey announced that he was finished.

The family walked into his bedroom and tucked him into bed. Grantaire laid down next to him to read the story, but this time Casey was asleep before the story was finished. Grantaire set the book down. Both of his parents kissed his forehead before slowly sneaking out of the room and walked into the kitchen.

"I was serious you know. Casey is just as extraordinary as you are."

Grantaire blushed. "Trust me that boy may get his love of art from me, but his love for people comes from you."

Enjolras looked at him and smiled. "How did you do it? Raise him on your own."

"I wasn't on my own. I had Clara and Aimee. But what helped the most was knowing that he was a part of you. It reminded me that it had been real and I had a job to get him back to you." Grantaire purposely left himself out.

But Enjolras noticed it, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Grantaire asked him.

"Did you have to get back here to me? Or was it only him?" Enjolras asked. Seeing that Grantaire wasn't going to answer, he sighed. "Grantaire, it's a simple question."

"Maybe for you, but for me it opens a can of worms that I am not ready to deal with." Grantaire replied, taking a few steps away from him.

"What can of worms? Our feelings for each other?" Enjolras asked.

"Yes!" Grantaire cried. "I can't go there, Enjolras."

"Why not? It all comes down to whether or not you still love me." Enjolras said. "I can tell you my answer. Right here. Right now. I still love you. I will always love you. There will never be another except you."

Grantaire closed his eyes. "Enjolras, it's not a matter of whether or not I still love you because of course I do. For as long as I live, it will always _be_ you. It's a matter of our son knowing you." Enjolras sighed as he looked away from Grantaire. "The only thing Casey has ever wanted was to know you. Now that he has a chance, I'm not getting in the way of that. Whatever you and I feel for each other, it needs to wait until you have a relationship with him. He's the one that matters, not me. I will always put him before myself. I have too."

"Grantaire –" Enjolras started.

Grantaire walked to Enjolras, cupped his face, and brought his lips to Enjolras'. The kiss was soft and tender. Their lips moved against each other's and it was perfect. After being apart for six years, this kiss was everything that Grantaire had hoped it would be. He slowly pulled away from Enjolras, who chased after his lips.

"I love you, Enjolras. I always will, but Casey _has_ to come first. For the both of us. Once you have a relationship with him, we can work on ours, but not a moment before then. I'm not saying never, I'm saying eventually." Grantaire said, keeping his hands on Enjolras' face.

Enjolras leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss against Grantaire's lips. "I understand. But I do love you."

"I know." Grantaire smiled at him.

Enjolras pulled away from Grantaire. "I should probably head out. I have a few papers left to grade."

Grantaire nodded before following Enjolras to the door.

"I guess, I'll see you tomorrow." Enjolras turned back to Grantaire to say.

"You will."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Enjolras."

Enjolras walked out the door and down the hallway. Grantaire watched him leave until he couldn't see him anymore. Then, he backed up into the apartment and closed the door. They were on the same page regarding their relationship which was a good thing, even if it did make his heart hurt. Grantaire finished up a few things for his work before he turned off the lights in the living room and kitchen. He checked on Casey, who was sound asleep. He walked in and pressed a kiss to his son's forehead.

"I love you, Casey." Grantaire whispered.

***

The next morning, Grantaire was woken up by his alarm. He hit the off button and got up. The first thing he did after getting dressed was go get Casey up. He walked into Casey's bedroom and gently shook him. Casey awoke slowly. He rubbed his eyes.

"Morning, Papa." Casey yawned.

"Morning, little bug." Grantaire said. "Time for breakfast. What would you like?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon." Casey said as he got out of the bed and grabbed Bear.

"We can do that."

Casey led the way to the kitchen with Grantaire following. He lifted Casey up on the counter as he grabbed the ingredients. Then, Grantaire cooking the pancakes. Casey played with Bear for a few minutes before glancing up at his papa.

"Papa, can I ask you a question?"

"Always, little bug." Grantaire poured the batter into the frying pan.

"Do you still love Daddy?" Casey asked.

Grantaire knew it was an innocent question, but it still tore at his heart. Other than a relationship with Enjolras, Casey wanted nothing more than to see his parents together. He turned to face his son, deciding that he could turn his back for 30 seconds. "Casey, of course, I love Daddy. I will always love Daddy. Nothing is ever going to change that. Just like our unconditional love for you will never change."

Casey nodded. "Alright, Papa. I love you, too."

Grantaire ruffled Casey's curls before pulling him in for a hug. Once he let him go, he helped Casey off the counter and turned back to breakfast. "Go sit in your chair. Breakfast is almost ready."

Casey did exactly that. And even after five years, it was still hard for Grantaire to believe how much Casey looked like Enjolras and how their love could make something so perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post more on Friday!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	13. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are officially longer than “Where He Went” with this chapter. :)
> 
> Disclaimer: You know the spiel.

_November 9 th, 2011, 26 weeks pregnant_

Grantaire finished taking pictures of the finished nursery. He absolutely loved the way the it had came out. The walls and carpet matched perfectly. All the furniture was in its place. The crib was on the wall closest to the door with the changing table next to the crib. The dresser was on the wall across from the crib. There were some clothes in the dresser, but not a lot. There were plenty of baby supplies in the room as well. The nursery was ready for a baby, and Grantaire couldn't wait to hear the sounds of a child in the room. Of course, Casey would spend the first six months in his room, so it would be awhile.

He left the room and went to the office to print off the picture to put them in the baby book. As he printed them off, Clara came into the room.

"How did your appointment go this morning?"

"Good. Everything is fine with him. I'm right on track with my due date." 

"That's great."

Grantaire continued to print the pictures off, but then felt a sharp kick to his ribs. He groaned in pain. Clara was at his side in an instant.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, he just kicked me in the rib."

Clara backed away from her grandson. "Are you comfortable?"

"For the most part. I think after I finish this, I'm going to put them in the book and then take a nap."

"Alright. I'll probably have dinner waiting when you wake up."

"Thanks."

Clara kissed the top of his head before leaving the office. Grantaire finished up printing the pictures. He went into his bedroom and grabbed the baby book to put the pictures in. Once that was done, he put it back in its place and settled in for a restful nap.

***

**_October 2017_ **

Two weeks later, it was time for another meeting, and Grantaire had agreed to bring Casey again. After finding out about Casey, all the friends agreed to keep the meetings at 5:30 to allow them to attend the meetings.

Casey sat in Grantaire's lap, coloring, as Grantaire paid attention to what Enjolras way saying, or at least, he tried to. Casey kept asking what color he should use next, so that made it a little hard. Enjolras noticed when Grantaire wasn't paying attention, but he didn't care since it was obvious that he was talking to Casey. It was hard after all to keep a five-year old entertained.

When the meeting wrapped, Grantaire set Casey down, who immediately ran to Enjolras. Enjolras picked him up and sat him on his lap as he sorted out all his papers to be put back in his bag.

"Daddy, can we go to the zoo on Saturday? Papa said that I should ask you." Casey asked as Enjolras finished packing up.

"Well, what did Papa say?" Enjolras asked.

"He said it was alright with him, if it was alright with you."

Enjolras looked at Grantaire, who was talking to Cosette and Marius. "It's alright with me."

"Yay!" Casey clapped his hand. Enjolras ruffled his hair as Casey got down from his lap. He heard Casey tell Grantaire that it was alright with Daddy if they go to the zoo.

Enjolras looked over at Courfeyrac and Combeferre, who were looking at him with raised eyebrows. "What?" Neither of them said anything. "I know you two have something to say, now say it."

Combeferre smiled. "It's just that fatherhood suits you, that's all. Casey clearly adores you."

"I adore him. I just still can't believe that Grantaire and I made him. It just feels surreal." Enjolras said.

"Well, you two are the perfect parents." Combeferre said.

"And I'm the perfect uncle." Courfeyrac said.

Combeferre turned to him and said. "You are not."

"I am, too."

Hearing what the argument was, more of the friends joined in. Enjolras rolled his eyes as he stood up. He walked to Grantaire, who was helping Casey pack up his backpack.

"And you said that they hadn't forgiven you." Enjolras commented causing Grantaire to roll his eyes, fondly.

As Enjolras walked with Grantaire and Casey back to their apartment that night, he couldn't help but ask. "So, you said that you haven't heard anything from your parents?"

Grantaire, who was holding Casey's hand as he ate an ice cream cone that they had gotten him before they left the café. "Nope. Clara found out that they had left New York not long after I did, but they never bothered to search for me and they haven't come back."

"What happens if they do come back and try to take him away?"

Grantaire looked down at Casey, who was too enthralled by the sweet and creamy treat to hear what his parents were saying. "Well, then they will have one hell of a fight against us, Clara, Aimee, and the whole bunch of idiots that he has as aunts and uncles back there."

"Does Casey know what they tried to do?"

"Yeah, he does, and he's terrified of meeting them someday because he doesn't want to be taken from us. And if they try to hurt him, I will do what it takes to make their life a living hell."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"No, it's fine. I just…Casey is my pride and joy, and if anyone tries to hurt him, Papa Bear's claws come out. I won't stand for it." Grantaire explained. Enjolras looked at Grantaire with love in his eyes. Grantaire noticed. "What?"

"Nothing."

They continued walking, but Casey eventually got tired of walking so Grantaire agreed to a piggy back ride. They were almost home when Grantaire remembered.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you. The gallery opens up next week and I kinda need to be there, but it's going to go really late, so I was wondering if…possibly…maybe you'd want to come over and stay with Casey."

Enjolras froze and looked at Grantaire. "Are you sure?"

"Enjolras, I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't sure. You need to have some time alone with him without me constantly there. Not to mention Clara and Aimee will be a phone call away, plus I will have my cell phone on me at all times." Grantaire assured.

"Do you believe that I'm ready for this?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire smiled. "I do."

Enjolras looked at Casey, who was looking at his father with expectant eyes. "I'll do it."

"Okay, I'll let you know the details on Saturday."

They arrived at the apartment. Enjolras came up long enough to read Casey the bedtime story and say goodnight.

***

Saturday came quickly, and going to the Bronx Zoo was all Casey had been able to talk about for the rest of the week. They left at around 9:30 in the morning, so that they'd be there around the time the zoo opened. When they arrived at the entrance, they saw that Cosette, Marius, Jehan, Courfeyrac, and Joly were there too.

"Um, good morning." Grantaire said as they approached.

Enjolras had agreed to give Casey a piggy back ride after they had left the subway, he was now setting him down.

"Good morning." Cosette said.

"What are you all doing here?" Enjolras asked.

The four of them look at each other before Jehan said. "We thought that we could help with Casey."

Enjolras and Grantaire exchanged looks, but then Grantaire smiled. "That's sweet, guys. Thanks."

The group walked to the entrance, so that they could pay the entry fee. Once they were inside, Grantaire bent down to be at eye level with Casey.

"Okay, little bug. You know the rules, right?" Grantaire asked.

Casey nodded. "I stay with you and Daddy at all time. I stay where you and Daddy can see me. I don't go anywhere without you or Daddy. No pushing or shoving. If I can't see something, I ask you or Daddy to lift me up, so I can see."

"That's right, and those rules all now apply to Uncles Jehan, Courfeyrac, Joly, and Marius, and Aunt Cosette, too." Grantaire said. "Now, where do you want to go first?"

"Gorillas!" Casey said, eagerly.

"Gorillas it is." Grantaire said.

He and Enjolras held out their hands for Casey to take as Cosette used a map that she had picked up to lead them in the direction of the gorillas. When they arrived, Casey asked Grantaire to lift him up as they made their way to the glass. Enjolras and Grantaire helped Casey see the gorilla since there were a few that were hiding. The other five watched the small family, and they couldn't help the smiles that appeared on their faces.

Around noon, they decided to find somewhere to eat because Casey was complaining of being hungry. They found the cafeteria where Grantaire opened the backpack which contained a lunch box for Casey. Grantaire finished getting Casey's food ready for him, which consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich, apple slices, carrot sticks, and two chocolate chip cookies that he would get once he had finished what he could. Grantaire also had a water bottle handy for him.

"I'll stay if you want to go and get something." Enjolras said.

Grantaire nodded, "Alright, but what about you?"

"I'll go when you come back."

"Okay." Grantaire closed the backpack and pushed it towards Enjolras, along with the bag of cookies.

Grantaire went with the rest of their friends to the counter to order their lunch. Grantaire got a burrito with chips and queso. Cosette and Marius got bowls of pasta. Jehan got a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Joly got a salad. Courfeyrac got a bacon cheeseburger and cheese curds. They got back to the table to the discovery that Casey had eaten all of the sandwich, a few carrot sticks, and half of the apple slices. When Grantaire sat back down, Enjolras passed the cookies to Grantaire and he stood up.

"Can I have the cookies now?" Casey asked.

"Eat two more carrots and another apple slice, then you can have the cookies." Grantaire instructed.

Enjolras came back with macaroni and cheese. They all ate in silence, and once Casey was done eating the two carrots and the apple slice, Grantaire gave him the cookies.

Once they were done with lunch, the group didn't stay much longer at the zoo. There were a few more exhibits that Casey wanted to see. When they decided that it was time to leave, Cosette, Marius, Jehan, Courfeyrac, and Joly split off from the family once they had left the entrance.

The family made it back to Grantaire's apartment. Casey went to put his new stuffed elephant and rhino with his other collection of stuffed animals before he want to play with his train set. Grantaire set the backpack on the counter to start emptying it. Enjolras went through his messages on his phone. He had a few emails from a few students with questions about that weekend's homework assignment that would have to wait until he got home.

"I'm going to let him play until its dinner time which gives us time to go over next Saturday." Grantaire said. Enjolras nodded as he took a seat at the island as Grantaire continued emptying the backpack.

"Okay, first question. Do you want me to drop him off at your apartment or do you want to come here?" Grantaire asked.

"Here. Combeferre has this big dinner planned for 'Ponine that night, and I promised I would be out of the apartment by 4:30 and not return until late Sunday morning. I, personally, think he's planning to pop the question, but I'm not sure. We all know how 'Ponine feels about those types of things, so I guess it's a wait and see type of thing."

Grantaire nodded. "Well, either way, I'll be happy for them. I've been meaning to ask. When did Marius pop the question to Cosette?"

"About two years ago. They've only been married a year." Enjolras replied. "You know, I always thought that it would be us being the first to get engaged, but the six year separation kind of threw that out the window." Enjolras let out a nervous chuckle.

Grantaire felt a pang of guilt. They had planned on waiting to even think about marriage until their last year of college, so they could have the wedding once they had graduated, but that clearly hadn't happened.

"I'm sorry." Grantaire said, refusing to meet Enjolras' eyes.

Enjolras stood up and walked around the island. He grabbed Grantaire's hands. "Grantaire, it doesn't matter, okay? You want to know why?" Grantaire looked at him. Enjolras could see his eyes shining with tears as he nodded. "Because of that little boy in the other room. I wouldn't trade that little boy for anything." Enjolras moved his hands to cup Grantaire's face as he pressed his forehead against Grantaire's. "You and Casey are everything to me. Everything." He whispered into the air between them. A tear feel from Grantaire's eyes that was wiped away by Enjolras. "As long as I have you two, I have everything that I could possibly want."

Grantaire had to stop himself from leaning in to kiss Enjolras. "God, I want to kiss you so badly right now."

"Then, do it. The only thing stopping you is yourself." Enjolras said.

"And the little boy in the next room."

Enjolras smiled. "One little kiss isn't going to shatter my relationship with him."

Grantaire's eyes flipped from Enjolras' lips to his eyes before he leaned in and pressed his lips to Enjolras'. The kiss was soft and just a simple press of lips.

Grantaire pulled away before smiling at him. "We should finish going over next Saturday."

"We should." Enjolras said as he sat back down.

"Okay, so you are coming here which is fine. And since you struggle with making food, there'll be leftovers in the fridge, so all you'll have to do is heat it up in the microwave." Grantaire explained.

"Thanks." Enjolras said.

"All the numbers will be on a piece of paper in case of an emergency. I will have my phone on me the entire time." Grantaire said. "You know the time that he needs his bath and be in bed by. You've helped me enough times to know. He'll stay mostly in the living room with his train set, stuffed animals, and coloring supplies until bath time. There's a very slim chance that he will put up a fight when I leave, but I'm not expecting it. If he does, he should be fine within the first 5-10 minutes that I'm gone."

"Even with me here?"

"Like I said it won't last long."

"Is there anything else that I need to know for Saturday?"

"I'll be back late, so if you want to stay here that night you're more than welcome, too, especially since you can't go home."

"Okay. Where would I sleep?"

"I would say with me, but given our agreement." They looked at each other. "I have an air mattress that you can use. I'll blow it up before I leave, so that it doesn't wake Casey. We can put it on the floor of my bedroom."

Enjolras nodded. "Alright.

"I think you are pretty much set on everything for Saturday. If anything else comes up, I will let you know." Grantaire said.

"Great."

Enjolras smiled at him, and then Grantaire turned to the kitchen and started to make dinner. Enjolras went to the living room to check on Casey.


	14. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But now, with this chapter, this story is longer than “Right Seems Wrong, Wrong Seems Right”! :)
> 
> Ditto from last chapter.

_December 14 th, 2011, 31 weeks pregnant_

Aimee and Grantaire were out baby clothes shopping. They had gotten Casey so many clothes that at this rate he would only be wearing each outfit once. They walked through the racks of baby clothes in the store. Aimee was pushing the cart while Grantaire followed behind, his hands resting on his belly.

"Are you sure that you want me and Clara in the room?" Aimee asked.

The night before Grantaire had asked if Clara and Aimee would be in the room when he gave birth to Casey. Both of them had agreed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Especially since the one person that I want in the room can't be." Grantaire said.

Aimee looked back at him. "You could go home."

Grantaire gave his aunt a look. "Aimee, we've been over this."

"I'm just saying."

"I know."

They continued walking along the racks until Aimee was sure that they had enough clothes. Grantaire's feet were also aching and he was starving. They paid for everything, then they left the store. Grantaire got in the car while Aimee put the bags in the trunk. When Aimee got in the car, Grantaire turned to her.

"Can we go get something to eat?" Grantaire asked.

"Where?"

"Chinese."

Aimee laughed as she turned on the ignition and driving them to the closest Chinese buffet.

***

**_October 2017_ **

The Saturday of the opening came all too slowly for Grantaire. He just wanted to get the event over and done with already. Plus, despite seeing Enjolras every day, the only thing Casey could talk about was the fact that Daddy would be taking care of him. Especially after they had celebrated Enjolras' 24th birthday the day after they went to the zoo, which had Casey jumping in excitement when Enjolras had allowed him to help him blow out the candles of the cake that Grantaire had made.

Grantaire had already set up the air mattress in his bedroom. Enjolras was coming a little after 4:30. Grantaire had to leave at a quarter to five. Like he promised, there were leftovers in the fridge from the last week for Enjolras to give to Casey, so he didn't have to touch anything other than the microwave and refrigerator.

Casey was currently playing with his train set, making "choo-choo" sounds as he went around the track.

Eventually, there was a knock at the door, and knowing exactly who it was, Casey stood up and ran to get it, but being the good boy that he was before opening it, he asked, "Who is it?"

"Daddy." Enjolras said from the other side.

Casey opened the door. Enjolras lifted him up to give him a hug. "I see someone's excited to be staying with Daddy for a whole night."

Casey nodded. "I sure am."

"He's been planning all day what you two are going to do all evening until he goes to bed." Grantaire said from the doorway. Enjolras felt his heart hammer in his chest at the sight of the love of his life in a tuxedo. He saw Enjolras' overnight bag, hanging from his shoulder and offered to take it for him.

"Yeah, thanks." Enjolras handed it to him. He shifted so that he had a better grip of Casey. He walked into the living room and asked. "So, what's the plan for the evening, little man?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Casey bopped Enjolras' nose.

Grantaire came back in from setting the overnight bag in his bedroom. He walked to his boys. "Alright, little bug, Daddy and I have some things to discuss."

Enjolras set Casey down, and followed Grantaire into the kitchen.

"As promised all emergency numbers, just in case. Including the gallery, Aimee, and Clara's." Grantaire said, pointing at the notebook pad on the refrigerator. "I'll have my phone with me, so if there's something you have a question on, call me at any time. My boss knows that this is the first time that Casey's other father is watching him, so he'll understand if I have to step out for a few minutes. Leftovers are in the fridge, give him the choices, and he'll pick. He knows he's getting leftovers, so food won't be a fight. He stays away from what in regard to food?"

Enjolras smiled. "Peanuts. Same as me."

"He knows to stay away from the door, but lock it after I leave, just to be safe. He eats at what time?"

"5:30. Bath at 6:30. In bed by 8. I turn down the bed before I get the bath ready. I don't leave him unattended in the bath." Enjolras said. "Grantaire, I know all this."

"I know. I just needed to make sure." Grantaire said. "He also has his story picked out. He should go to sleep easily with just the story, but it's still awake, you can sing the lullaby and comb his hair with your fingers, or just comb his hair, your choice." He looked at the clock. "I have to leave soon, but I've placed your bag next to the air mattress. I also have blankets and pillow on the bed. If you need more, there's some in the closet. I'm not sure what time I'll be back, so, don't wait up. Also, if he has a nightmare, he might come and lay by you, so don't be alarmed if you feel a tiny body come and crawl next to you. You ready for this?"

Enjolras nodded, "Just a tad bit nervous. I'll be fine, though. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Grantaire said. He looked at the clock. "I should get going." He went to grab his jacket. "Little bug, I'm leaving!"

Casey came bursting from the living room. Grantaire bent down to hug Casey.

"I'll be back late, okay, little bug. Promise me, you'll be good for Daddy." Grantaire said.

"I promise."

"Good, and you'll do everything that he says?"

Casey nodded. "I will, Papa."

"That's my boy. Now, come here and give Papa another hug and kiss."

Casey hugged his papa before placing a kiss on his cheek. Grantaire did the same. "I love you, little bug."

"I love you, too, Papa."

Grantaire placed another kiss on his forehead, then stood up. He put on his jacket as Casey walked over to Enjolras. Enjolras picked him up.

Enjolras followed Grantaire as he walked to the door. "Alright." He opened the door before turning back. "Where's the children's Motrin if he needs it?"

"In the medicine cabinet, next to the first aid kit." Enjolras said. "Grantaire, we'll be fine, so stop worrying. Go and have a good time."

Grantaire nodded before he walked to press another kiss to Casey's forehead. "Goodnight." He said as he walked out the door.

Enjolras and Casey called "Goodnight" after him as he shut the door.

Once, the door was shut, Enjolras turned to Casey and asked, "What's the first thing on that list, buddy?"

"Playing trains."

"Alright. Go into the living room, I'll be there in a second." Enjolras set Casey down, so he could lock the door. Casey ran into the living room to start setting the train set up. Enjolras walked into the living room to join his son. Casey was busy grabbing all the trains that he could find when he sat down next to him. "Do you want Daddy's help?"

Casey nodded as he handed the container that held the train cars to Enjolras. Enjolras took the train cars out and connected them together. When that was done, Casey handed him three train cars.

"They're red, blue, and green." Enjolras observed.

"Of course, they are, Daddy." Casey said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Blue for me, red for you, and green for Papa." He pointed to each train. "It's for our family."

Enjolras felt his heart twist at his son's words. He distinctly remembered Grantaire saying that Casey wanted nothing more than for the three of them to be a family. Well, other than a relationship with him. Enjolras stared at the three trains for longer than he needed to.

"You okay, Daddy?" Casey asked.

"I'm fine, buddy." Enjolras said. "Now, let's play some trains."

They played with the trains until Enjolras looked at his watch to see that it was close to 5:30.

"Alright, buddy, it's almost time to eat. Let's put the trains away before we go into the kitchen and eat." Enjolras said.

They put the trains back in their cases and the train track back in the trunk before they headed into the kitchen. Enjolras helped Casey wash his hands before he set him on the counter next to the refrigerator.

"What will it be, buddy? We have carrots, roast beef, roasted potatoes, ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, or corn." Enjolras listed off. He saw a bowl with a green, jiggly substance. Jell-O. "Oh, and Jell-O. We're saving that for later."

Casey laughed before saying, "Carrots, roasted potatoes, and chicken."

Enjolras smiled. "I was thinking the same thing."

He got Casey down from the counter before he grabbed the three Tupperware containers of leftovers. Casey went to sit at his spot at the table. Enjolras found two plates, and started dishing up the food. Then, put Casey's plate in the microwave first. When the food was hot enough, Enjolras cut the food into bite size pieces. He then placed the food with a fork in front of Casey.

"Be careful, buddy, it's hot. What would you like to drink?"

"Milk, please, Daddy." Casey said as he put a piece of carrot into his mouth.

Enjolras filled his cup with milk before placing the lid back on. He placed a straw in the lid. Grantaire had weened Casey off of sippy cups by the time he was three. Instead, he used a cup with a lid and straw, and every once in a while, under adult supervision, he was able to drink from an open cup.

Enjolras handed the cup to Casey. He then got busy dishing his own plate. He was in the middle of putting the containers back in the refrigerator when Casey asked the question.

"Do you still love Papa, Daddy?" Casey asked.

Enjolras finished putting everything in the refrigerator before he walked to the table to sit down next to Casey. "What do you think, buddy?"

"I think you do. Papa still loves you. I asked him." Casey told him.

Enjolras smiled. "I love Papa more than I have loved anyone else on the planet, apart from you."

"Then, why aren't you together? Why aren't we a family?" Casey asked.

"But we are a family, buddy."

"But you aren't together. How can we be a family when you aren't together?" Casey asked. Enjolras could see tears forming in his little eyes.

 _God, I wish Grantaire was here._ Enjolras thought. "Buddy, it's complicated. It's not that we don't love each other, we do. But we just think that my relationship with you is more important at the moment. Just because we aren't together, doesn't mean the three of us aren't a family. We are a family, okay?"

"Okay." Casey sniffled. "I love you, Daddy."

"And I love you, and Papa, so very much." Enjolras ruffled his hair and kissed his hair before he stood up to get his plate of food.

After they ate, Casey went into the living room to color until bath time while Enjolras cleaned up the kitchen. When he got back into the living room, Casey asked Enjolras if they could watch _Peter Pan._

 _Peter Pan_ was Casey's favorite movie, and was the reason why it was the theme of his bedroom, why he had chosen to be Peter for Halloween, and why he believed in fairies. He was also sad that they couldn't see the stars in New York because than he couldn't see the "second star to the right" meant to be Neverland. Enjolras had smiled at the innocence of it all when Grantaire first told him.

"Of course, we can." Enjolras put in the DVD, and started it up as Casey continued to draw. He just hit play when his phone started ringing. Enjolras took it out of his pocket and saw that it was Grantaire. He smiled as he swiped his finger to answer the phone.

"Hello." Enjolras said as he sat down on the couch, watching Casey as he watched the movie.

 _"I promised myself that I wasn't going to call and checkup, but here we are. This will be the only phone call I make, I swear."_ Grantaire said, the moment he answered.

"Grantaire, its fine, but to answer the question. Everything is fine. We just ate. Our son is currently coloring and watching _Peter Pan_ while I'm on the phone with you. And yes, I know, he won't be able to watch the full thing because of bath time and bed." Enjolras told him with a smile.

He heard Grantaire laugh on the other side. _"Am I really that predictable?"_

"Yes, you've always been easy for me to read. Now, even more so with being a father." Enjolras told him. "How's the opening?"

_"Just barely started. That's another reason I called, I got bored waiting. It will hopefully be a success. My boss has a lot riding on this opening._

"Don't worry about that until Monday. Just try and have fun. But obviously not too much fun where you forget that you're mine and only mine."

 _"God, I forgot how hot you are when you're possessive."_ Grantaire said. _"I won't forget because I only want to be yours. Alright, I should probably go. I won't be calling again, so I'm going to hang up, now."_ The line went dead before Enjolras could say anything else.

Enjolras shook his head at the love of his life's ridiculousness before he sat back and watched the movie with his son.

***

Around 6:20, Enjolras went to turn Casey's bed down and got a set of pajamas out before going to get Casey's bath ready. Enjolras had given him his bath enough times that he knew what to use and how hot the water had to be.

When he came back into the living room, he told Casey that it was bath time. Casey put away his colors while Enjolras paused the movie. It was at the scene where Peter had just opened the bomb that Captain Hook had left for him, so he didn't see the harm in letting Casey finish it after the bath.

They went into the bathroom where Enjolras helped Casey undress before helping him into the bath. Casey sat down, letting Enjolras get his hair wet before putting shampoo in his hair. It always amazed him how much Casey loved the water that once Enjolras had jokingly said to Grantaire that their son was part fish.

As Grantaire normally did, after conditioning his hair, Enjolras let Casey play with his bath toys. Casey roped Enjolras into playing pirates.

When Casey's bath was done, Enjolras helped dry him off and get dressed. He helped him brush his teeth before taking him back into the living room to gently comb through his hair with Casey holding onto Bear. Enjolras now understood why Grantaire loved playing with his hair so much. It was therapeutic.

After the movie was done, Enjolras removed the DVD before carrying Casey to bed. Enjolras tucked Casey in before grabbing the storybook and opening it up to the story Casey had bookmarked earlier that day. Enjolras read the story, doing the voices, and showing Casey the pictures.

Enjolras finished the story, Casey's eyes were drooping. Enjolras decided that he would just run his fingers through his son's hair.

"I love you, buddy."

"I love you, too, Daddy."

"Close your eyes."

It was at least 10-15 minutes before Enjolras dared to move. He looked down at his son to see that he was sound asleep. Enjolras turned off the lamp to turn on the nightlight. He kissed Casey's forehead, then he left the bedroom. Leaving the door open just a crack.

Enjolras figured that he might as well catch up on his grading, so he went into Grantaire's bedroom to grab his laptop bag.

He had only been in the room once, so Enjolras walked around the room for a few minutes. Enjolras saw that pictures of Casey were scattered over the room on the walls and sitting on the dressers. Enjolras also found the stuffed orca whale that he had won Grantaire at the back to school carnival their senior year of high school, as well as the love frog that he had given to Grantaire as a three year anniversary present. When you squeezed its belly, there was a recording of Enjolras saying that he loved Grantaire and wishing him a happy anniversary. Enjolras pressed the belly to see if it still said it, and to his surprise, it did. He had thought it would be worn out by now. There were many other mementoes from their relationship around the room, excluding the locket, which was around his love's neck.

The locket had been Grantaire's 17th birthday present. On the inside, there was a picture of them that showed how much they loved each other. Then, there was the engraving of _Amor Vincit Omnia_ which, of course, stood for "Love Conquers All" in Latin written around the small heart shaped diamond. Enjolras had chosen that saying because even with all the shit that they had gone through, their love always came out stronger in the end. On the back, it said: _Happy birthday, my love! Forever yours, Enjolras._

Sitting on the lamp table next to the bed was a picture that Grantaire had of them. And sitting right next to that was a picture of Grantaire and Casey. Grantaire was kissing Casey's cheek. Casey couldn't have been more than two years old. Enjolras smiled at the photo. He made a note in the back of his mind to ask Grantaire for a copy of that photo. He loved them both so much that he felt like his heart was going to burst. 

But then, he remembered what he had come in there for. Enjolras grabbed his laptop bag and left the room to go work in the living room.

Enjolras started to grade papers until he stood up to get himself something to drink. After that, he continued grading until it was 11:15. Then, he decided to call it quits and get ready for bed. Grantaire had told him not to wait up, so he didn't plan on it.

He checked on Casey, who was still sound asleep, clutching Bear to him. Enjolras closed the door again before heading back into Grantaire's bedroom. He crawled onto the air mattress and under the covers. He wasn't tired, so he decided to look through his phone until he was.

***

It was about 12:30 A.M. when Grantaire walked through the door. The lights were all off and no sounds were coming from the living room, so Enjolras must have went to bed. Before making his way to his bedroom, he checked on Casey. His son was sound asleep. He walked in to press a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you, Casey."

He tiptoed back out before going into his bedroom where he found Enjolras, laying on the air mattress, phone in hand.

"Hey, I thought you'd be asleep." Grantaire said.

"I should be, but when I came in here, I realized I wasn't tired, yet. How was the opening?" Enjolras put his phone down.

Grantaire sat down on the bed to remove his shoes. "It was good. I think it was a success. I'll find out on Monday, if it was or not. How was Casey?"

"The lovely angel that he always is. No problems once you left. He ate all of his food. He was asleep by eight, and hasn't woken up since." Enjolras told him. "Although, I should tell you, that he asked me if I still loved you."

Grantaire stopped to stare at Enjolras. "What did you say?"

"I told him that I do still love you." Enjolras told him. "Of course, then he proceeded to ask why we weren't together and why we aren't a family. I told him that we weren't together because we think my relationship with him is more important at the moment. And then, I told him that just because we aren't together doesn't mean that we aren't a family."

"I knew that I should have warned you that that question could possibly be coming since he asked me that a few weeks ago." Grantaire said.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I still loved you. And pretty much the same thing you told him." Grantaire told him. "I'm going to finish getting ready for bed, and then we can talk some more."

Enjolras nodded before Grantaire disappeared into the bathroom with his pajamas and to brush his teeth. When he came back out, he crawled under the covers and rolled to the side of the bed so that he could see Enjolras.

"Wow! This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Enjolras commented as he smiled up at him.

For the first couple months of their relationship, whenever Grantaire stayed over at Enjolras', this is what they had to do. That is until they were sexually active about nine months into it.

Grantaire blushed. "Yeah, it does. But this time, it's you on the air mattress, not me."

"Either way, it brings back memories. Just like that orca whale and the love frog over there." Enjolras gestured in the direction of the stuffed animals.

Grantaire looked at the animals. "Hey, those stuffed animals mean a lot to me."

"I know, I'm just saying."

Grantaire smiled, "Of course, those stuffed animals don't mean as much as the other two precious gifts you gave me."

Enjolras looked at him, confused. "Two?"

"Casey and the locket."

"Right." Enjolras said. "Speaking of the locket, can I see it?"

Grantaire reached behind his neck to reach for the clasp. Other than showering and swimming, the locket never came off his neck. The night he gave it to Casey for safe keeping after they moved back was the one exception. He undid the clasp to give it to Enjolras.

Enjolras took it with great care since it was an authentic silver locket. It had cost Enjolras almost $200, but paying that much had been worth it once he saw the smile on his love's face when he had opened the present. Grantaire had taken great care of it then, and despite a few scratches, Enjolras could see that he still took great care of it. He opened it up only to reveal the picture of him and Grantaire that was still on the right where he had placed it, and on the left side, there was a picture of Casey when he was a baby.

"Casey was about five months old in that picture." Grantaire said. "And of course, you already know, how much I love the other picture."

"You never changed it?"

"Why would I? There's not picture that explains the love we feel for each other better than that photo." Grantaire said.

Enjolras closed the locket before handing it back to Grantaire. After the locket was back in its place around Grantaire's neck, Grantaire took Enjolras' hand and laced their fingers together.

"God, you have no idea how badly I want to kiss you." Enjolras whispered.

"I think I do because I want to kiss you just as badly, but we can't. Especially not here, you and I both know where it will lead to this close to a bed."

"Moving away from that before we both do something that we will regret, what are the plans for Halloween?"

"Well, I know that Casey's school is having a Halloween party from like 1-3 for pre-school through 3rd grade."

"You mentioned that a few days ago."

"I know, you have class, but it would mean a lot to him and-" Grantaire started.

"Don't say another word. I can leave around noon and someone else can substitute. My son is more important."

"Alright."

"What does he want to do for trick or treating?"

"He wants to go, but only to Aimee and Clara's, our friends, and a few people that we know on our floor." Grantaire said.

Enjolras looked at his phone for the time. "While we should probably get some sleep, it’s almost 1 A.M." He set his phone down. "But first, um...I was wondering if it would be possible for me to get a copy of the photo of you and Casey that you have on your bedside table?"

"Yeah. Just remind me in the morning and I’ll get you one." Grantaire said. He rolled over to stare at the ceiling. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be back with more on Monday, as usual. Hope you all have a great weekend.


	15. Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with chapters fourteen and fifteen.
> 
> *****WARNING: ISSUES WITH LGBTQIA+ FAMILIES COME UP IN THIS CHAPTER*****
> 
> Disclaimer: You know the spiel.

_January 11, 2012 (35 weeks pregnant)_

Grantaire stood in the kitchen, making himself a turkey sandwich. Once the sandwich was made, he grabbed the bowl of fruit from the refrigerator. Then, Grantaire sat down after grabbing the bowl of potato chips dipped in chocolate that Clara had done for him. After he sat down, Clara looked up from where she was sewing a quilt for Casey.

"Are you sure you don't want more than that?" Clara asked as she gestured to the food that surrounded Grantaire.

"Ha-ha." Grantaire putting a chip into his mouth. "I'm five weeks out from my due date and I have cravings, what do you expect?"

Clara shrugged. "Nothing." 

Grantaire took another bite from his sandwich, but stopped chewing when he felt a sharp kick to his side. "Ow." He rubbed his side. "Look, kid, I'm trying to eat, so can you please cool it for a little while." He felt another kick in response, then another. "I'll take that as a no."

Clara looked at her grandson. "Is he giving you trouble today?"

Grantaire looked up from his belly to his grandmother. "Just a little. I'm very anxious for him to be out of me."

"I'm sure."

"How's the quilt coming?" Grantaire asked, getting back to his eating.

"Good. It would come easier, if I knew my great-grandson's name." Clara tried to get the name revealed.

Grantaire shook his head as he enjoyed his sandwich. "Nope. You have to wait five more weeks."

"Alright." Clara sighed. She sewed a little bit more. "Have you heard back from the daycare of the college? You know, Aimee and I don't mind taking care of him when you're away."

"I know, but you'll deserve breaks to." Grantaire said. "And yes, to answer your question. I talked to my advisor and once the week of my due date comes, he wants me to stay at home. Then, I'll have four weeks off after he's born. After those four weeks, I'll be able to bring him to the daycare on days that you and Aimee want off."

Grantaire had turned in a lot of his schoolwork for those four weeks already. But there were a few assignments that still weren't turned in. Once he was done eating, he was going to work on more of his schoolwork for as long as he could before he started growing tired.

He set his plates back in the sink, then put the fruit away in the refrigerator. Grantaire went to his bedroom and crawled on his bed. He grabbed his backpack to start on his homework.

***

**_October 2017_ **

Finally, it was Halloween, and the students of Casey's school were allowed to wear their costumes to school if they paid 50 cents. Casey was already bouncing off the walls in his Peter Pan costume as he got ready that morning. Grantaire smiled, remembering when he was young and was always excited for Halloween. It wasn't his favorite holiday – he much more enjoyed Christmas – but it was still fun.

"Papa, where's Tinker Bell?" Casey called from his bedroom as Grantaire made the batter for pancakes. Casey had already told him that he couldn't take a picture until the costume was fully assembled.

"It's in the living room, little bug!" Grantaire called back.

Casey came running out of his room to get the rod that held the glowing light meant to be Tinker Bell. He grabbed the rod and brought it to the kitchen with him.

"Alright, Papa. You can take a picture." Casey said. He placed his hands on his hips, with a big smile. The Tinker Bell rod hung over his shoulder.

Grantaire grabbed his phone and took a picture. "Do you want to send it to Daddy?"

Casey nodded, enthusiastically as he set the rod down to wait for his breakfast. Grantaire quickly sent the picture off to Enjolras.

**_Grantaire (6:49 A.M.): *Image sent successfully* Our Peter Pan._ **

After the message was sent, Grantaire got back to making the pancakes. Once breakfast was ready, he set a plate of pancakes in front of Casey, telling him to be careful to not get syrup on his costume.

When breakfast was done, Grantaire stood waiting with his coat and backpack. Casey grabbed Tinker Bell, and they left the apartment.

Grantaire went into the school with Casey when he dropped him off to remind his son and his teacher, Miss Lee, that Casey couldn't have anything that had peanuts or peanut butter before he said goodbye to Casey to leave for work.

***

As the day went on, Casey grew impatient for the Halloween party. Mostly because he wanted his daddy to see his costume. Finally, it was time for the party, but Casey refused to play any games until his parents were there. When he caught sight of them, Casey ran towards Enjolras. Enjolras took Casey into his arms as they walked into the party.

Both Enjolras and Grantaire were nervous because this would be the first time that both of Casey's parents were in the same place. They knew that questions were bound to come up, and they hoped that it didn't cause some students to start saying cruel things to Casey. It was also the first time that Enjolras would meet Miss Lee.

Enjolras set Casey down before taking his hand while Grantaire took his other hand. Casey led them around the room, playing games and winning prizes.

Grantaire watched Enjolras look around the room, and he could tell that he hated every second of the party, but was going along with it for Casey's sake. Grantaire had heard the rant about Halloween being a capitalistic holiday while they had been walking to the school from the car. Grantaire had told Enjolras that he could have said no, but Enjolras refused saying that he would never disappoint Casey.

Casey soon found Miss Lee and introduced Enjolras to her. Grantaire had explained Casey's family situation to her when he had been enrolling Casey in school.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you. Casey talks about you all the time, so it's nice to put a face with the name." Miss Lee said.

All Enjolras was able to say was "thank you" because Casey pulled him away, so he could meet his friend, Mallory.

***

Soon the party was over, so the small family left the school to go back to Grantaire's apartment before heading out to go trick-or-treating.

"Casey, go wash up for dinner before we head out to trick-or-treat." Grantaire helped him take off his coat, backpack, and bucket full of prizes. Grantaire would put all the candy from both the party and trick-or-treating in a secret spot after Casey was asleep.

"What do you do with the candy?" Enjolras asked.

"First, I'll check to make sure that none of the pieces have peanuts. Then, I put them in a secret spot before putting a piece in Casey's lunchbox and a piece for dessert with his dinner. He knows that he just doesn't get to eat all the candy." Grantaire explained.

Enjolras didn't say anymore on the subject of the candy. He just bobbed his head and moved on. "Well, one thing's for sure. The party went a lot better than I was expecting."

"Don't say that quite yet. If they were going to say something, they weren't going to with us right there. If there are comments, they will probably come later."

"And if there are, we will deal with it together, right?" Enjolras said with a smile.

"Right." Grantaire walked into the kitchen to start heating up something for Casey to eat.

After dinner, they went out trick-or-treating. They brought Casey to their friends' apartments, even bringing him to Enjolras' apartment for the first time. Needless to say, Casey didn't want to leave that place. Then, after that, they took him to Clara and Aimee's. Then, to a few people on their floor.

When they returned home, Casey was sleeping in Enjolras' arms and he carried him into the bedroom. Grantaire turned the bed down before Enjolras set him down. They both got Casey in his pajamas before tucking him in and pressing kisses to his forehead.

***

The rest of the week was just like any other. School for Casey, work, Enjolras coming over to help put their son to bed. Enjolras and Grantaire were beginning to think that maybe comments wouldn't be made, but they couldn't be more wrong. Because on Friday, when Grantaire picked up his son from school, Casey ran into his arms, crying.

"Little bug, what's wrong?" Grantaire asked.

Casey shook his head. "I just want to go home."

"Okay, we'll go home."

He carried Casey to the car, placing him in his harness booster seat. But when they got home, Casey threw off his backpack and coat before running into his bedroom. Knowing exactly what had probably happened, Grantaire pulled out his phone and called Enjolras, who was still in class, but he left a voicemail and a text message.

Once Enjolras got the messages, he called him to tell him that he would be there soon. When Enjolras arrived, they both walked into Casey's room. Casey was crying again when they walked in.

"Oh, little bug." Grantaire said. Casey sat up and wrapped his small body around Grantaire's. He shushed Casey and rocked him back and forth. "Come on, little bug. Tell Papa and Daddy what happened."

Casey shook his head as he continued to cry.

"Buddy, we can't help if you don't tell us what happened." Enjolras said, rubbing Casey's back.

Casey calmed down a little. "They were mean to me."

"Who were mean to you?" Enjolras asked.

"A boy and a girl in my class." Casey said, looking away from his parents.

"How were they mean to you?" Grantaire asked.

"They said mean things about you and Daddy." Casey said as he started crying again into Grantaire's neck.

Grantaire and Enjolras looked at each other with knowing expressions. Grantaire ran his fingers through Casey's curls. "Little bug, what did they say?"

"That we aren't a real family. They said that I was the Devil's spawn for being the son of two males. They also tried to tell me that I was adopted." Casey started crying again after he told his parents.

Grantaire had tears in his eyes, but he held them at bay. He and Enjolras calmed Casey down again.

"Hey, buddy, look at us." Enjolras said. Casey did just that. "No matter what anyone says we are a real family, and you are not the Devil's spawn."

"That's right." Grantaire said. "Casey, do you remember when I told you that I had been born a girl, but now I'm a boy, which is why you call me Papa, and not Mama." Casey nodded. "Alright, so that means that I have the ability to have children, and I promise that you are truly mine and Daddy's. All they have to do is look at the resemblance between you and Daddy, and they would know that. And as Daddy said, you are not the Devil's spawn. That boy and girl just don't know any better and haven't been taught that there are different forms of a family. Which we are, little bug, we are a family. You, me, and Daddy. We _are_ a family, and we love you, so much." Grantaire hugged Casey. Then, Enjolras hugged him, too.

"Remember, Casey, you can talk to us about anything, even if you think it will upset us." Grantaire reminded him.

Casey nodded before hugging his parents again.

"I know, Papa. I just didn't want to hurt yours or Daddy's feelings."

"Little bug, nothing you could tell us will ever hurt our feelings." Grantaire pressed a kiss against his forehead.

"Papa's right." Enjolras told Casey. "Also, Casey, don't listen to those kids. Our family is unique and that's what makes it special. Papa and I will talk to Miss Lee. Make her aware of the situation, okay? We'll make it all better." Enjolras kissed his son's forehead.

"Now, run along and play. I'll start getting dinner ready." Grantaire said. Casey nodded as he hopped off the bed. Enjolras and Grantaire smiled as he ran off.

They stood up from the bed to walk out of the bedroom. Grantaire turned to Enjolras. "I'll e-mail Miss Lee and ask if we can talk to her on Monday morning, if you don't mind coming with me to drop him off."

"I don't mind." Enjolras said. "What are you going to make for dinner?"

"I was thinking cheese ravioli with Alfredo sauce. It's one of his favorites, and after the day that he's had, he could use a treat."

Later that night while Enjolras was helping Casey with his bath, Grantaire quickly sent off an e-mail to Miss Lee to ask if they could meet on Monday morning. After Enjolras left that night and Casey was asleep, Grantaire checked his e-mail again only to see a reply from Miss Lee.

***

On Monday morning, the family found themselves walking into the elementary school. They walked Casey to his classroom. His teacher saw them and went to meet them. Grantaire urged Casey inside the classroom. Casey walked into the room, nervously, until Mallory took him over to an area to play. Miss Lee walked them to area where she had full view of her classroom, but they still had privacy.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Grantaire? Mr. Enjolras? The e-mail said it was serious." Miss Lee said.

"Yes, Miss Lee, it is." Grantaire said. "Last Friday when I picked Casey up, he was crying. Crying because two kids, Casey didn't tell us their names. Just that it was a boy and a girl. Anyway, he was crying because two kids told him that his family wasn't a real family. They also called him the Devil's spawn and said that he was adopted. Now, Miss Lee, when I enrolled Casey in the school, I explained to you our family situation, but I can assure you that Casey is my son, given to me by the man standing next to me.

"We talked to Casey about it and told him that the children were wrong, but as his parents, we will not stand for our son being bullied because there are some students who don't understand that not every family is the same. I understand that they are five-year olds, but Casey is already struggling with the fact that his parents aren't together. He doesn't need to be told that just because Enjolras and I are men that we aren't a family." Grantaire finished his explanation.

"Look, what Grantaire is trying to say is that, we were wondering if you could add something in your lessons plans about how every family is different. I'm sure you have other things you need to teach, but this is important, and-" Enjolras was cut off by Miss Lee.

"Say no more, I understand, I can do that." Miss Lee said. "I wasn't here last Friday, so that's probably why the two kids thought it was okay to do that. And I'm pretty sure, I know which two kids it was. I am terribly sorry that that happened. I should have discussed it sooner with my class, and for that I am sorry. I love having Casey in my class, and like you, I will not tolerate him being bullied just because his family is different, just like any other child. I can assure you that I will deal with the situation and the two children. I will also personally apologize to Casey, as well, and that if it continues, I want him to come straight to me." Miss Lee said. "I'm so sorry."

Both the parents could see that Miss Lee was close to tears at learning what had happened.

"That is all that we ask. Thank you." Enjolras told her before giving her a quick hug.

Grantaire also gave her a hug. "Yes, thank you."

"I will do my best to watch Casey, and make sure no harm comes to him." Miss Lee said. "Thank you for bringing it to my attention."

The parents and Miss Lee said their goodbyes, so that she could get back to class. After they left the building, Enjolras and Grantaire said their goodbyes and headed off in their respective directions. Both of them feeling better about the situation that had occurred on Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a great weekend! I sure did.
> 
> Chapter fifteen will be up in a few seconds!


	16. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same as usual.

_January 20 th, 2012 (36 weeks pregnant)_

Grantaire waddled into the kitchen where Clara and Aimee were putting locks on the handles of the cupboards. He raised his eyebrows at his aunt and grandmother.

"Um…you do realize that he won't be able to crawl for a while, right?" Grantaire asked, his hands resting on his belly. They looked at him and nodded. "Okay, so then why are you baby proofing the house, now?"

"We are just taking the necessary precautions now. Nothing wrong with being prepared." Clara said.

Grantaire chuckled. "God, you sound like Enjolras."

Clara smiled. "Good."

Grantaire shook his head affectionately. "Alright, well, I'm going to go and take a nap."

"You do that. We will continue to make sure that we have everything. Also, when you wake up, we are having a labor drill." Aimee said.

"A labor drill? What the fuck is a labor drill?" Grantaire asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Clara walked to her grandson. "You don't have to worry about it, yet. You, go and rest." She shooed him out of the kitchen and to his bedroom.

Grantaire held his belly as he walked. He looked down at it and said. "Little bug, you'll have some really weird family members, but I swear that they mean well." He patted his belly, and felt a kick to his hand.

When Grantaire sat down on his bed, he gaze landed on the picture on his bedside table. He picked it up and stroked the glass that was over Enjolras' face.

"Just four more weeks until our son is born, my love. And you have no idea how badly I wish you could be here. I love you with every inch of my heart." Grantaire said before placing it back on the bedside table.

He tried to get comfortable once he laid down, but no matter which way he lay, he couldn't. Grantaire decided to lay on his back to run his hands over his round belly and told stories to his belly about Enjolras. Grantaire was going to make sure that his son knew about his other father, no matter what.

***

**_November 2017_ **

In the days that followed, Grantaire and Enjolras were happy to hear that Miss Lee had addressed what happened and made sure that the two students apologized to Casey. Casey still refused to be friends with them, and his parents didn't blame him.

Now, that everything was better for Casey in school, Enjolras had to ask Grantaire about what his and Casey's plans were for Thanksgiving, but he didn't know how to ask the question.

Grantaire was currently making dinner in the kitchen while Enjolras worked on his grading in the living room as Casey colored. But Enjolras could not focus on his grading for the life of him. All he could think about was the subject of Thanksgiving. He stood up and told Casey that he and Papa would be in the kitchen if he needed them. When he walked in, Grantaire stood in front of the stove, stirring the meatballs and sauce for spaghetti.

"Hey. How's dinner coming along?" Enjolras asked.

"Wonderful. Here, taste." Grantaire put some of the spaghetti sauce on a spoon and allowed Enjolras to taste it.

Enjolras had never tasted anything so good in his life. "That tastes good."

"It should. It is your mother's recipe." Grantaire smiled.

Enjolras smiled, too. He had almost forgotten how close Grantaire had been with his parents. He realized that this was the perfect window. "Speaking of my mother, do you know what you and Casey are doing for Thanksgiving?"

"I haven't really thought about it, why?" Grantaire asked.

"Because the other day, my parents called to tell me that they wouldn't be heading to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving like they planned to, and instead invited me over. I told them that I would love too, so I was wondering if you and Casey would like to join me?"

Grantaire glanced at Enjolras. "Um…can I think about it? I'm not sure what Aimee and Clara are doing, but let me find out and I will get back to you."

"Alright. If they aren't doing anything, you can invite them to come with us. My parents always loved Clara, so they wouldn't mind."

"I will do that. But I must ask, do your parents know that I'm back?"

"Yes, I told them, but I didn't tell them about Casey. I didn't think that they should find out about their grandson over the phone."

Grantaire inclined his head, "Okay, but like I said, let me think about it, and I will get back to you."

Enjolras expected that answer, but he still couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

***

The next day, when Grantaire picked Casey up from Aimee and Clara's, he brought up the subject of Thanksgiving to them.

"Have you thought about what you two are doing for Thanksgiving?" Grantaire asked as he waited for Casey to gather up his stuff.

"Not particularly, why?" Clara asked her grandson.

"Enjolras invited me and Casey over to his parent's place, and he also extended the invitation to you two, as well."

"That was nice of him. Are you going?" Aimee asked.

"I'm thinking about it. He told them about me being back, but nothing about Casey, and I'm not sure how they are going to react when they discover that I made their son a father at 18." Grantaire said.

Clara sighed. "Nic, his parents loved you like you were their own son. I don't think you have much to worry about. Not only that, but they deserve to know that they have a grandson, and Casey should know that he had more family than just his parents, your friends, and us."

"I know, but-" Grantaire started.

"No buts. It's time for his parents to know." Clara said.

Grantaire nodded. Casey came running into the kitchen with his backpack. Grantaire took the backpack before holding out his hand for his son to take. They said their goodbyes before leaving the apartment.

***

When they arrived back home, Enjolras was already waiting outside the apartment. Casey ran to him when he saw him.

Grantaire smiled. "You could have gone inside, you know? You have a key for a reason."

Lifting Casey into his arms, Enjolras said with a smile. "I know. I just felt like waiting for you."

Grantaire took his key out to open the door. Enjolras walked inside and set Casey down. Casey removed his backpack and jacket before running into the living room.

"So, did you think any more about Thanksgiving?" Enjolras asked as he watched Casey go for his train set.

Grantaire turned to glance at Enjolras. "I have, and if you're sure, we'll come with you. Clara and Aimee, as well."

"Great. I'll let my parents know.

Casey perked up at that. "Parents?" Neither of them had been aware that Casey was listening.

Enjolras nodded, "Yeah, my parents. You, Papa, Grandma Clara, and Aunt Aimee are coming with me to my parent's place on Thanksgiving."

"Will they want to meet me?" Casey asked, walking toward his parents.

"Of course, they will. They will adore you."

Casey smiled before going back to his train set. Enjolras looked at Grantaire with a confused expression.

"I take it his apprehension of meeting my parents have to do with yours?"

Grantaire took a deep breath. "Sadly, yes. In his mind, your parents will want to take him away just like mine did. But once he meets them, he'll see that that won't be the case."

Enjolras nodded. "Alright. What are you thinking of for dinner?"

"Casey asked for Chinese on the way home, so that's what it will be."

"Sounds good."

After that, Enjolras took his bag into the living room to be with Casey. Grantaire soon joined with his own laptop to answer e-mails from his work that he had gotten. He would wait to order any food until it got closer to the time of dinner. Once he finished answering e-mails, Grantaire pulled up the website for Enjolras' favorite Chinese restaurant that was allergy friendly to order dinner.

He ordered two things of sweet and sour chicken (Enjolras could eat one container himself), roast pork fried rice, chicken with broccoli, egg rolls, General Tso's chicken, pork chow mein, and kung pao chicken. After ordering, they said that the food would be there in about 45 minutes.

As they waited for their food, Casey pulled Enjolras over to play with him.

 _His boys_. Grantaire thought as he watched them while he set the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday it is sixteen and seventeen!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please!


	17. Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same as usual.

_February 9 th, 2012, 39 weeks pregnant_

"Well, you're right on schedule, Grantaire." Dr. Whitehouse said as he wiped the gel away from his belly. "You can pull your shirt down."

Grantaire sat up and pulled his shirt down. "So, do you think that I'll go on time? And I know you said that you're expecting him to be small, is that going to be an issue with delivery?"

"Possibly. Most first pregnancies don't, and instead go a few days late. But you could be one of the lucky ones. And as for the question about him being small. I don't think so. I think your delivery will go smoothly. Just be ready for the labor to probably be long and tiring." Dr. Whitehouse said.

"Alright. Thanks."

"I look forward to seeing you again in a few short days."

Grantaire had Aimee's help in jumping down from the exam table. They left the room before leaving the clinic. Aimee turned to him.

"Food."

Grantaire grinned wildly. "Chinese."

"You got it."

They got back in the car and were off to the restaurant.

***

**_November, 2017_ **

Casey walked into Grantaire's bedroom. He walked to the side of the bed and started to poke his father. Grantaire blinked his eyes as he woke up. He sat up.

"Little bug, what is it?"

"My tummy hurts, Papa."

Grantaire pulled the covers away from his body. He picked Casey up and set him on the bed. He quickly went to go get a bucket from the cleaning supply closet for Casey to vomit into if the need aroused. When he came back, it wasn't even a minute before Grantaire was holding the bucket up to Casey's mouth as he vomited into it. Grantaire rubbed his son's back. Once Casey finished, he was crying causing Grantaire's heart to ache. Casey hated being sick and when he was he became more attached to Grantaire than what he usually was.

"It's okay, little bug. It's okay." Grantaire soothed Casey as he took him into his arms. "Lay down in Papa's bed. Let me get a glass of water so you can rinse your mouth. I'll be right back."

As Grantaire got the water from his bathroom, he glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning, but he already knew there was no way Casey was going to school that morning. Grantaire came back with the glass of water. He handed it to Casey, who swished his mouth before spitting the water out and into the bucket.

Grantaire looked at his son. "Try to sleep while I take care of this." He got up from the bed to clean out the bucket.

When he got back, Casey was still wide awake. Grantaire set the bucket on the floor next to the bed, just in case it was needed again. He placed the glass of water on the bed side table. Grantaire laid down next to Casey, who cuddled into him, clutching both him and Bear.

"Just try and sleep." Grantaire whispered to his son, kissing the top of his head.

He decided that he would take Casey's temperature the next time that Casey woke up. But neither one of them were asleep when Casey needed to vomit again. Grantaire handed him the glass of water, then went to go take care of the mess again. He came back with the thermometer. Grantaire took Casey's temperature which was 101.2°.

"Well, since you have a fever of 101.2, I won't be taking you into school today. I'll call your teacher as soon as it's the right time, as well as your pediatrician." Grantaire said.

"Papa, what about Daddy?"

"I'll call Daddy, too." Grantaire assured. "But for now, little bug, I want you to try and sleep, okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Grantaire ran his fingers through Casey's hair as he fell asleep.

***

Around 6:30 in the morning, Casey woke Grantaire up again to vomit again. After that, as Casey continued to cuddle with Grantaire as he tried to sleep again, Grantaire grabbed his phone to call the people that he needed to.

Grantaire called Miss Lee to let her know that Casey would be staying home due to illness. Then, he called his work to say that he would be working from home that day due to his son being ill. After that, he called Dr. Whitehouse, who had moved back to the city about two years ago. Grantaire was fairly certain that it was the flu since it was getting to be that time.

Dr. Whitehouse told Grantaire to watch his fever. Keep him hydrated with water or juice. Feed him toast, saltine crackers, and soup. Chamomile tea to help him sleep. He also instructed him to avoid giving him any medication unless he absolutely needed it. Then, he told him that if Casey got worse, bring him in.

The final call that Grantaire made was to Enjolras.

Enjolras picked up by the second ring. _"Hey, it's a little early to be calling. Is everything alright?"_

Grantaire smiled at the sound of the concern in his voice. "Well, Casey has the flu, so I'm keeping him home from school today and we probably won't make the meeting."

 _"Okay. Is he going to be alright?"_ Enjolras asked.

"He'll be fine. I just got off the phone with his doctor, who said that he should be fine, but if he gets worse, bring him in."

_"Do you want me to stay home from work to come over?"_

Grantaire smiled, again. "No, I got it. I'll call you if anything changes. But maybe you could stop over before the meeting. Casey may not be very active, but I know that he'd love to see you."

_"That I can do. I got to finish getting ready. I'll probably be calling for updates. Give him a kiss for me."_

"Of course. Talk to you later."

They hung up. Grantaire glanced at Casey, who was sleeping again and clutching Bear. Grantaire leaned down to give Casey the kiss that Enjolras asked him to give.

***

Around 11, Grantaire moved Casey to the couch in the living room. He tucked him in a bundle of blankets. He also called Clara to ask her if she could make her special chicken noodle soup. She agreed and said that she'd be over with it soon. Grantaire then made Casey a plate of buttered and honeyed toast, cut into squares. Grantaire put in _Peter Pan_ for him to watch as he did some work stuff from his computer. The movie wasn't even half over when Grantaire glanced at Casey, only to discover that he was sleeping again. Grantaire took a picture of their sleeping son to send to Enjolras with an update about how he was doing.

When one in the afternoon rolled around, Clara came over with the soup. Grantaire made sure that Casey was still sleeping before getting up to greet her.

"Thank you for bringing it over." Grantaire said as he took the soup from his grandmother.

"No problem. There's enough in there for you, too. How's he doing?" Clara said as she followed Grantaire to the kitchen.

"He's sleeping. His fever is still high. I'll check it again when he wakes up." Grantaire said as he placed the soup in the refrigerator.

"I'm guessing you haven't been able to leave his side."

"Nope. You know how much he clings to me when he's sick."

"Of course. I guess, I'll head out, then. See you later, Nic." Clara then left the apartment as quick as she came.

***

Finally, around 3:30, Enjolras walked into the apartment. Casey was back to watching his movie when he arrived. With Casey's permission to leave his side for two minutes, Grantaire was heating up a bowl of soup and making a grilled cheese sandwich for Casey.

"Hey. How's he doing?" Enjolras finished taking off his jacket and setting down his bag.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" Grantaire said with a smile.

Enjolras walked into the living room to where Casey was laying. "Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?"

Casey made a disgusted face. "Icky, Daddy."

"I'm sure, buddy." Enjolras ran his fingers through his son's curls.

Grantaire came back with the bowl of soup and grilled cheese. He placed the tray of food in front of Casey. "His temperature has gone down since this morning, but not very much. Good news is he has been able to keep everything that he's eaten down. He's still complaining of a headache. I'm hoping he'll be better tomorrow."

Casey turned to his food and started eating slowly. "Daddy, can you hand me the water, please?" He pointed to the plastic cup with the straw that was sitting on the coffee table. Enjolras grabbed the cup and handed it to him. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about not being able to make the meeting. Staying here with him is more important." Enjolras looked up at Grantaire to say.

Grantaire nodded. "Alright."

"Daddy, do you have to go?" Casey asked him.

"I'll be gone no less than an hour, I promise. I'll keep the meeting short and sweet." Enjolras promised.

Casey nodded. "Good."

"But I can stay here until I need to leave." Enjolras said.

Casey smiled at that. Enjolras ruffled his hair. Grantaire turned to go back into the kitchen, hoping that Casey would be content for five minutes, sitting with Enjolras. But no less than 15 seconds after leaving, Casey was calling for Papa. Grantaire came back into the living room and sat next to Casey. Enjolras looked confused.

"Little bug, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I was just in the kitchen. Daddy is right here."

"I know, but you make it all better." Casey said.

Grantaire looked at Enjolras, apologetically. "I know, but can you be content with Daddy sitting here for two minutes while I get some food for myself?"

Casey grumbled, but nodded. Grantaire stood back up to go into the kitchen again. He quickly heated up some soup and made himself a grilled cheese sandwich before heading back into the living room where Casey was still eating. Knowing that Casey was distracted with his food, Grantaire took the opportunity to explain to Enjolras what had just happened.

"When he's sick, he clings to me. I have to be in his line of sight at all times, or else, well, you saw what happened." Grantaire gestured to the air around them.

"So, he's a Papa's boy when he's sick." Enjolras commented.

"Very much so." Grantaire told him.

Enjolras smiled, sheepishly, but didn't say anything.

About an hour and a half later, Enjolras looked at his watch to check the time. "I should probably head out." Casey quickly grabbed his father's hand. Enjolras looked down and squeezed it. "I'll be back after the meeting, buddy, I promise." He pressed a kiss to Casey's hair before going to the door.

With Casey's permission, Grantaire followed. "If you want, you can stay tonight, too."

"Alright. I'll stop by my apartment and get some things, then. I'll see you after." Enjolras left the apartment.

***

When Enjolras arrived at the Musain, he was the first one there like usual. As the minutes went by, though, the others trickled in. About two minutes before the meeting started, Cosette realized that there were two people missing.

"Hey, Enj, where's Grantaire and that adorable son of yours?"

"Casey woke up sick today, so they are at home." Enjolras explained.

"Is he going to be alright?" Joly asked.

"Yeah, just a small case of the flu. Grantaire has it handled."

"Are you sure that you want to be here?" Combeferre asked.

"Not really. I just want to be with him."

"'Ferre and I can handle the meeting, if you want to go." Courfeyrac said.

"Are you sure?" Enjolras asked.

Courfeyrac nodded. "Yes, being with the bundle of joy is more important."

"Thanks, guys."

Enjolras quickly went through the agenda with them before leaving the Musain. He quickly went to grab clothes from his apartment before heading back to Grantaire's. When he walked in, Enjolras saw that Grantaire was back in the kitchen, making another grilled cheese sandwich and heating up another bowl of soup.

Grantaire turned his head. "Hey. You're back earlier than expected. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, once I told them that Casey was sick, they offered to handle the meeting while I came back here." Enjolras assured him.

Grantaire didn't say anything, he just accepted the answer. He grabbed a plate and put the grilled cheese sandwich on it, took the bowl of soup, and placed it on the tray to carry it back to Casey. When Casey saw his father coming with the tray, he quickly put his crayons and coloring book away. Grantaire placed the tray on his lap while Enjolras sat down next to him.

"How are you feeling now, buddy?" Enjolras ran a hand through his hair.

"Not much better, Daddy." Casey said.

Enjolras frowned at his son. "I'm sorry, bud."

"Little bug, I'm going to go set Daddy's bag in Papa's room and get his bed ready. You stay here with Daddy and eat."

"Okay, Papa."

Grantaire took Enjolras' duffle bag and grabbed the air mattress from the closet in the hallway. After the mattress was ready, he placed sheets and blankets on it. Grantaire was sure that Casey would probably want to lay next to one of them since that was what he usually did when he was sick.

Casey was cuddled up with Enjolras and they were watching _Peter Pan_ again when he came back into the living room. Grantaire sat down on one of the other seats. From where he was sitting, it was clear that Casey was starting to fall asleep again.

Enjolras looked down at Casey and smiled, softly. "Do you want me to bring him into his room?"

"No, he'll be fine there. Just lay him back against the pillow again." Grantaire said.

Enjolras laid him back down, but stayed to run his fingers through Casey's curls. "Are you going to give him a bath tonight?"

Grantaire shook his head. "No, I'll wait until he feels better. I'll probably keep him home an extra day to make sure." He stood up to go back into the kitchen, Enjolras followed after him.

"I just wish there was more that we could do for him." Enjolras turned his head to glance at Casey's sleeping figure.

"I know, me too." Grantaire said. "I'm just glad that he's more like me when he's sick."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Enjolras asked, a smile forming on his face.

"It means that while he's miserable, he doesn't whine, complain, and say stupid things about how his getting sick was all the government's fault." Grantaire teased.

"I have never done that." Enjolras defended himself.

"Yes, you have. Junior year. When you had to stay home because you had strep. You blamed the illness on the government. I know because I was the one who was taking care of you when you said it."

Enjolras started walking toward Grantaire. A look of mirth in his eyes. "Well, I couldn't really blame the one who gave it to me, now could I?"

"Hey, I told you not to kiss me, but you did anyway. You really had no one to blame, but yourself." Grantaire turned to face Enjolras.

"Oh, really."

"Really."

"But you were so damn kissable with the pouty lip and annoyed expression." Enjolras grinned, wolfishly.

Grantaire had a smug look on his face, "Oh, whatever."

Enjolras only shrugged before he held up his hands causing Grantaire to go wide-eyed, knowing exactly what he intended to do. Grantaire tried to back away, but it was too late because Enjolras had his arms wrapped around him as he tickled him. As Enjolras tickled him, Grantaire let out squeals and giggles. He tried to be quiet because he didn't want to wake Casey up. He kept turning in Enjolras' arms, desperate to get away, but Enjolras was merciless.

Neither of them realized that the laughter from both of them had woken Casey up.

"Alright, I give. I give." Grantaire yelped as Enjolras stopped.

They were both panting heavily and still laughing as they locked eyes. Grantaire's eyes flicked down to his love's lips. Enjolras cupped his love's face as he leaned down to press his lips to Grantaire's in a soft kiss. Grantaire sighed into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Enjolras' waist to pull him closer. Both of them careful to keep the kiss a simple press of lips.

Both of them were so caught up in each other that they didn't hear the sounds of small feet walking into the kitchen.

"Papa? Daddy?"

They sprung apart at the sound of Casey's voice.

"Yes, little bug?" Grantaire said. His face was flushed as he did his best to avoid eye contact with Enjolras, who was attempting the same.

"Why were you and Daddy kissing? Are you back together now?" Casey's voice was hopeful as he clutched Bear to him.

Seeing the way his son's face lit up, twisted Grantaire's heart since Casey wanted them together so badly. Grantaire walked around the island to Casey.

"No, little bug, we are not back together." Grantaire bent down to be at eye level with Casey. The words tasted like vinegar.

"But then why were you kissing?" Casey asked.

"Sometimes adults just kiss."

"But you and Daddy love each other, so you two should be together and we can be a family."

Casey's bottom lip started to quiver and tears were forming in his eyes. It twisted Grantaire's heart even more. "Casey, it's complicated."

"No, it's not. You love Daddy! And Daddy loves you!" Casey exclaimed.

"Casey…" Grantaire started.

"You just don't want us to be a family." Casey accused.

Grantaire was taken aback. "Now, Casey, that is not true."

"Yes, it is!" Casey screamed before running out of the kitchen to his bedroom.

The bedroom door slammed shut causing Grantaire to flinch. He stood up to turn to look at Enjolras, who was watching him with a shocked expression.

"So, it was just a kiss? And we're still stuck here?" Enjolras crossed his arms.

Grantaire glowered. "Don't you dare start."

"Why not? Maybe his words are true."

"They are not true, and you know it."

"Then, why are we still stuck here?"

"You know why." Grantaire turned to go into the living room. Enjolras followed after him.

"Oh, yes "because my relationship with him is more important." Grantaire could hear the air quotes in Enjolras' voice. "It's been two months and I'd say that he and I are as thick as thieves."

"It's more than that. It's the fact that I'm not going to let our relationship distract us from the one who matters. Casey." Grantaire grabbed Casey's tray to bring it into the kitchen.

"It won't." Enjolras urged.

"You realize that the only reason he caught us kissing is because we were so caught up in each other that we didn't hear him, right?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras's jaw clinched, "We thought he was asleep."

"That doesn't make it okay, Enjolras. Not when we knew that he was sick. Taking care of him is always top priority."

"Okay, so we let ourselves get distracted one time. One out of how many?"

"I don't care that it was one time because that still doesn't make it okay, Enjolras! Casey HAS to come first. How many times do I have to say that?" Grantaire angrily folded the blankets that Casey had been wrapped in.

Enjolras' sigh was filled with frustration. "I know, and he does. He always does. He always will. But Grantaire, you promised me that once I had relationship with Casey, we could work on ours. Well, now, I have one with him, and we haven't even tried working on ours, yet. Do you even want to be with me?"

Grantaire turned to look at him. The heat in his eyes softened. "Of course, I do. I want to be with you more than anything. I love you."

"Then, don't you think it's time we start working on ours? Give Casey what he wants. Us together."

Grantaire finished folding the blankets. He walked by Enjolras on his way to the kitchen to start the dishes. Ignoring the question. He didn't want to talk about this. Not now. Not when Casey was sick. He just wanted to finish the dishes, then go and cuddle his little boy and try to explain to him that he did want them to be a family.

But when Grantaire didn't answer the question, Enjolras realized there was more to this than just being distracted from their son. Yes, Casey, was a part of it, but there was something else, too.

"There's something more to this than just being distracted from our son, isn't there?" Enjolras asked. He moved to stand behind Grantaire. Grantaire didn't answer again, but he could feel tears prickling behind his eyes. Enjolras placed his hands on Grantaire's shoulders. "I know there is something else. You'd talk to me if there wasn't. I know what you do when you're trying to hide something from me, and you're doing it right now." Enjolras reminded him. "'Taire, love, talk to me, please. Tell me what is wrong?"

It was the use of the two nicknames that did it. Grantaire felt a tear rush down his face. "I don't want to lose you." He admitted.

Enjolras was taken aback. "Lose me? What are you talking about?"

Grantaire stopped doing the dishes to turn and face Enjolras. "If it doesn't work, and we break up. I don't want to lose you. Not again, 'Jolras."

"You've never lost me. I have always been yours. Always. Even when you left me, I was yours. And you're never going to lose me. I belong to you, and no one else. You and our son are my life." Enjolras laced his hands with Grantaire's.

"But it's been six years. We've both changed. In more ways than one."

"Yeah, and when we were in high school, everyone thought that we wouldn't even last six months because of how different we were. But we proved them all wrong and lasted three and half years, and now, we have an adorable five-year old son." Enjolras said. "Look, love, I can't promise you that we won't fight and argue. I can't promise that I won't hurt you. Hell, I can't even promise that we won't get caught in each other and be distracted from Casey. Because I'm sure that it will happen, no matter how hard we try. But what I can promise is this." He closed his eyes and opened them again when he was ready to speak. "I promise to do whatever I can to make a good home for us, Casey, and whoever else comes along. I promise to take care of you the best I can. And above all, I promise that I will love you and Casey until the day that I die. That's all I can promise, but I mean every word." He lifted his hand to touch the locket hanging from his love's neck. "When I gave you this locket, it wasn't just a token of my love for you or a birthday present. It was a promise. A promise that my love for you is forever." Enjolras pulled his hands from Grantaire's to cup his face. He pressed his forehead against Grantaire's. "I love you, my sweet 'Taire. I am ready to take the jump into being together and being a family. Hell, I've been ready since I found out about Casey, but the question is, are you ready?"

Grantaire looked at Enjolras through his lashes, but he didn't reply. "I can't do this now." He removed himself from being close to Enjolras before he did or said something that he'd regret. He'd finish the dishes later. Right now, he needed to see Casey.

He knocked on Casey's door, but when he received no reply, he walked in. Casey was lying on his bed. He could hear the sniffles coming from his son. He walked to the bed to sit down. Grantaire started rubbing his son's back.

"Casey, little bug, I'm sorry." Grantaire said. "I know that you want us together, I do, but you have to be patient."

Casey rolled over and sat up. "But you love each other."

"Yes, Casey, we do, but…" Grantaire took a deep breath. "You know how you're scared of the dark or of thunderstorms?" Casey nodded. "Well, like those fears, I have one too."

"What is it, Papa? Casey asked.

"I love your daddy, so much, and I'm just so terrified of losing him. We just got him back, and I don't want to do something that would cause us to lose him." Grantaire said. "Do you understand that?"

"Yeah, Papa. Because I don't want to lose him either." Casey said. "But do you think you will ever be together?"

"Soon, I promise, little bug. Soon." Grantaire pulled Casey into a hug. Casey smiled into his father's neck.

Enjolras watched the scene from his son's bedroom door. He just hoped that it would truly be soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pssst* There's a small foreshadow in this chapter. Did anyone spot it?
> 
> Also, keep in mind that since Enjolras met Casey, he has spent every spare hour that he has with him, and Grantaire, by extension. Plus, Casey also loved Enjolras before he had even met him.


	18. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my updates on Monday, this story became officially longer than "Forever Was In His Eyes" and "Enemy of Love", and today's chapters made it longer than "Somethings Are Meant to Be"!
> 
> Same as usual!

_February 16 th, 2012. 8:56 P.M._

Grantaire, Clara, and Aimee had just finished dinner. Grantaire was bringing his plate to the sink when all of sudden he felt water run down his legs.

Aimee, who had been standing next to him was immediately at his side. "Grantaire, what is it?"

"I think my water just broke." Grantaire replied as Aimee helped him to a seat. "I have been having cramps and pain all day, but I wasn't sure if they were contractions."

"Alright, let's move into the living room. Aimee, grab a piece of paper. We'll have to write down when a contraction starts and ends, so we know when to head to the hospital." Clara said, taking Grantaire's hand to help him into the living room.

Grantaire sat down on the couch while Clara sat next to him. "I'm just glad that I'm going close to my due date, and not waiting."

"Me too, sweetheart." Clara said.

"I'm scared, Grandma." Grantaire admitted. Clara squeezed her grandson's hand.

"I know, baby. But Aimee and I will be right here." Clara assured.

***

It wasn't until almost 2:30 in the morning that the contractions were three minutes apart, and the three of them headed for the hospital. Once Grantaire's contractions started, Aimee had put the diaper and Grantaire's duffle bag in the car.

When they arrived at the hospital, Aimee went to go tell the nurses that Grantaire was in labor. They were lead to a delivery room where Grantaire changed into a hospital gown, so that Dr. Whitehouse could check how far he was dilated.

"It looks like you'll be in for a long night, Grantaire. You're only three centimeters dilated."

After the doctor left, Grantaire decided that he wanted to walk around while he waited since once he got the epidural, he wouldn't be able to go anywhere. The nurses also gave him ice chips to help him stay hydrated.

"How are you doing?" Aimee asked.

Grantaire simply shrugged, not answering her.

"It'll be over before you know it." Clara said.

***

Finally, he was far enough long to get the epidural, and Grantaire loved it. Once it kicked in, he slept for about an hour and a half. When he woke up, Grantaire was at eight centimeters, but it was only 6:58 A.M. He tried to sleep longer, but sleep wouldn't come.

Dr. Whitehouse came in again around a quarter after nine to check how far along Grantaire was. "Well, Grantaire, it's time since you're at 10."

Grantaire breathed out and tried to relax as Aimee and Clara found their spots by his sides. Dr. Whitehouse got the appropriate clothing on before he got Grantaire ready and situated.

"Alright, on the count of three I want you to give me a nice strong push." Dr. Whitehouse said. "Okay, 1…2…and 3."

Grantaire squeezed his aunt and grandma's hands as he pushed. He continued to push until he couldn't anymore. He fell back against the pillows. Sweat matting his hair to his forehead with tears running down his cheeks. "I can't. I can't. It's too hard."

"Yes, you can, Grantaire. You have too."

Grantaire shook his head. "No. I want Enjolras."

"I know, sweetie. But he can't be here." Clara said. Grantaire groaned and started crying again. "Hey, Nic, look at me. You can do this. Do this for you and for Enjolras."

Grantaire took a deep breath. "I can do this."

He started pushing again. About five minutes later, his doctor announced that he could see the head. Grantaire stopped pushing again to try and catch his breath, but he was exhausted.

"Grantaire, I promise just a few more minutes and he will be out." Dr. Whitehouse said.

Grantaire took another deep breath and followed the doctor's instructions until he heard the room erupt in cries. Grantaire fell back against the pillows with a sigh of relief as Dr. Whitehouse gave his son over to a nurse, so he could be cleaned.

When the nurse was done cleaning him, she handed him to Clara as she said. "He's nice and healthy. He's seven pounds and 21 inches long. Born at 10:47 A.M."

Clara took the baby with great care and smiled at him before handing him to Grantaire.

The moment Casey was placed in his arms, Grantaire started crying again as love and pride exploded from his chest. "Hello, there. I'm your papa. I love you, so much."

He stared at his son in awe. Casey was beautiful, and he was his. No one would ever take him from him. Holding him in his arms, Grantaire knew that it had been all worth it. His parents' threat, him leaving the city, and of course, falling in love with Enjolras. He wouldn't have the beautiful boy in his arms if it weren't for Enjolras.

"What's his name?" Aimee asked.

Grantaire didn't even look at her. He only had eyes for his son. "Casey. Casey René Enjolras-Grantaire."

Clara and Aimee smiled at each other, but didn't say anything. Aimee grabbed the camera and moved to the end of the hospital bed. Grantaire kissed his son's forehead and was too wrapped up in the small baby to even notice Aimee snap a picture of the moment.

***

**_November 2017_ **

It was Thanksgiving Day, and Grantaire had spent most of the morning wrestling with Casey to get him dressed as he watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

"Casey, please, get dressed. Daddy will be here any moment." Grantaire pleaded.

Grantaire was a nervous wreck. He didn't know how Enjolras' parents were going to react once they told them that they had a grandson. Isabelle and Gabriel had been the parents that Grantaire had always wanted, but had never had that he hated the thought of disappointing them.

Casey finally cooperated, so Grantaire was able to finish helping him get dressed, just as there was a knock on the door and Enjolras strode in.

"How are my two favorite people doing this fine morning?" Enjolras asked with a smile on his face.

Casey ran to his daddy, who picked him up. "Happy Thanksgiving, Daddy."

"Happy Thanksgiving, buddy. Don't you look handsome?" Enjolras set him down. Casey was dressed in nice looking pants and shirt. It seemed that Grantaire remembered that his parents had a dress code when it came to celebrating the holidays. He looked up at Grantaire, who was dressed in dress pants, dress shirt, and a tie. "You look nice, too, 'Taire."

"Thanks."

"Well, we should head out. Clara and Aimee are meeting us there, right?" Enjolras said to which Grantaire nodded.

Grantaire helped Casey put on his coat, hat, and mittens. They left the apartment after Grantaire locked up and headed down to the parking garage. Once everyone was settled, and Casey was in his car seat, they were off.

***

It took them a little under an hour (the traffic was hell) to get to the Upper East Side. Then, it was another 10 minutes to get to the building that held the penthouse that Enjolras' parents lived in. They found a parking spot and made their way into the building. Clara and Aimee were already waiting in the lobby.

Enjolras lead them to the elevator and hit the penthouse button. As the elevator went up, Enjolras could practically feel Grantaire vibrating with nervousness. He reached over and took his hand. Grantaire jumped slightly.

"Relax. It will be just fine." Enjolras whispered.

Grantaire shyly smiled and squeezed Enjolras' hand.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Enjolras was the first to step out. Grantaire could hear Isabelle's voice as she walked to greet them. He let Clara and Aimee go first before he stepped out with Casey.

"Mom, I'm sure you remember Grantaire's grandmother, Clara, and his aunt, Aimee." Enjolras said.

"Of course, it's so wonderful to see both of you again." Isabelle hugged both the women. "Now, where is that handsome boyfriend of yours, Jules?"

"He'll be coming." Enjolras said. "But first, Mom, do you want to go get Dad? There's something the both of you need to know."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow at her son before nodding as she left to go get her husband. It took less than a minute for Isabelle to come back with Gabriel.

"Hey, Jules. Your mother said that there was something that we needed to know. So, what is it?" Gabriel asked.

"You know that you can tell us anything, and we'll love you all the same."

"I know. Grantaire, you can come out now!" Enjolras called.

Grantaire stepped out from the doorway where the elevator was, holding Casey's hand. Enjolras heard the gasp from his mother when she saw Casey. Grantaire slowly made his way to them, and the closer they got, the more Casey hid behind his leg. He was soon standing in front of Isabelle and Gabriel.

"Hello, Isabelle and Gabriel."

"Hello, Grantaire." Both the parents said in unison, but they clearly only had eyes for Casey.

"Um…Mom, Dad, Grantaire and I would like you to meet our son, Casey." Enjolras said with a proud smile.

The shock wore off Isabelle and Gabriel, and they looked from Enjolras to Grantaire down to Casey and back to Enjolras.

"Son? But how?" Isabelle said.

"Mom, I think you know how." Enjolras quipped

"But you swore that you were being careful."

Enjolras sighed. "And we were. We didn't plan to have a baby. It was an accident. Mom, Dad, I understand if you're upset, but he's the most perfect child a parent could ask for."

"We're not upset, just surprised. He's the splitting image of you, Jules." Isabelle said. She bent down to be at eye level with the small boy. "My, aren't you handsome. Hello, Casey. I'm Isabelle, but you can call me Belle."

"And I'm Grandpa Gabe."

Casey smiled, shyly, at them from behind Grantaire's leg, but he didn't say anything.

"He's a little shy." Grantaire said.

Isabelle and Gabriel smiled, warmly, but didn't seem fazed. They led the group into the living room. When they sat down, Casey went from Grantaire to Enjolras. He held on to Enjolras like he was his life line. Grantaire knew it had to do with his parents and Casey being scared that he'll be taken away.

"So, I'm assuming that Casey is the reason that you left, Grantaire?" Gabriel asked.

Grantaire looked at Enjolras. "Um…yes, sir, it is. But before I tell you this, um…I would much prefer if it could be done in private." They gestured to Casey to which Isabelle and Gabriel nodded in understanding. "Little bug, can you go with Auntie Aimee and Grandma Clara, and do some coloring with them, while Daddy and Papa talk to Belle and Gabe?"

"Yes, Papa." Casey hopped off the couch with his backpack and took Auntie Aimee's hand.

"You can use the dining hall. The staff is still working on getting dinner ready, so you won't be disturbed." Isabelle said.

Once Casey was out of earshot, Enjolras explained. "It'll make sense why it was best for Casey to leave the room once Grantaire is finished explaining."

"Um…as I said, yes, being pregnant was the reason that I left. When I found out, I had every intention of telling Enjolras, I swear that I did. But my parents got to me first. And I don't need to tell you what my relationship with my parents was like because you very well know." Isabelle and Gabriel had sad expressions on their faces. "Anyway, my parents threatened to take Casey away, and while I know that it would never happen, especially since you two were the parents that I never had, I got scared that you two would agree. Which is ridiculous, I know."

"You're right, Grantaire, we never would have done that. We may have been disappointed, but we never would have agreed on taking him away." Isabelle assured.

"We love you just as much as we love Julien." Gabriel said.

"I know, I'm sorry." Grantaire said. "Anyway, I left because I needed to protect Casey, so I went to the one person I knew who would never allow my parents to take him."

"Clara."

Grantaire nodded. "I went to Syosset, and I knew my leaving would draw my parents out of New York. I had every intention of coming back, but I was so scared that I stayed where I was. Clara pulled some strings to get me into college, and they helped me through my pregnancy. But I was still heartbroken about not having Enjolras with me. It killed me knowing that he wasn't there to see it all."

"Have you seen your parents at all since you left?" Isabelle asked.

Grantaire shook his head. "No, I haven't. The fear of them coming back is part of the reason Clara and Aimee came with me. That and to watch Casey. But while I was scared, I also knew that my job was a once in a lifetime offer, plus it was time for Enjolras to know that he had a son."

"I'm assuming that Casey knows all of this."

"Some of it, yes. I told him part of the story when he asked where Enjolras was when he was four. After that, Enjolras turned into his hero." Grantaire turned to smile at Enjolras. Then, he turned back to Isabelle and Gabriel. "He understands that people threatened to take him away from Enjolras and I, and he’s terrified of it actually happening. That's why we wanted him to not be in here."

"Well, I can't even imagine how hard it was to keep this secret." Isabelle said. "But you know that you didn't have to do it, right? We would have been there every step of the way."

"I know. I thought that I was doing the right thing. I hated it, but Casey wasn't going to be raised by anyone, but Enjolras and I. It seemed like the best option at the time." Grantaire explained. "If you're angry, I understand. It will always be the one thing that I regret."

Isabelle stood up and moved to sit next to Grantaire. "It doesn't matter. You're both home now, and no will ever take him from you. We'll see to that."

"She's right, R." Gabriel said.

"Thank you." Grantaire wrapped his arms around Isabelle.

***

Later that evening, it was just the small family of three, Enjolras' parents, Clara, and Aimee left at the penthouse. The staff that worked at the penthouse had left after they had Thanksgiving dinner to spend the rest of the holiday with their families. Isabelle, Clara, and Aimee had done the dinner dishes. Gabriel and Isabelle were very kind to their staff and did all that they could for them. They had been that way ever since Enjolras was a child.

Casey was helping Enjolras play checkers with Gabriel. Grantaire smiled as he watched. It hadn't taken long for Casey to warm up to his grandparents. All Isabelle had to do was give him an extra chocolate chip cookie and all Gabriel had to do was show Casey the train set that he had had since he was boy.

While Enjolras whispered to Casey about where to make his next move, Grantaire went off to the bathroom, only to discover the one downstairs was occupied. He went upstairs to use that bathroom.

After he finished, he found himself standing outside the door that had once been Enjolras' bedroom. Grantaire opened the door and walked in.

Everything was exactly the same, well except for a few things that had been moved to Enjolras' apartment. Grantaire knew that the canvas painting that he had done of them that had been hanging above the headboard had been moved to Enjolras' apartment. He saw Enjolras' graduation tassel hanging from a hook and smiled as he went to grab it. His fingers played with the tassel before he placed it back on the hook.

As he walked around the room, Grantaire stepped on a loose floorboard that he had forgotten about. He bent down to move the floorboard because he was curious if it was still there. When he saw that it was, he was almost brought to tears.

Grantaire took the book from its hiding spot and stood up to sit on the bed. He opened the front cover to reveal the selfie of them with Grantaire's arms wrapped around Enjolras' neck, both of them smiling widely at the camera. Above the picture, it said in Enjolras' messy handwriting: "The Story of Us". It was a scrapbook that only they had known about. It was like their own private journal that was only shared with each other. Grantaire flipped through it with a smile on his face.

"I remember when you two started that book." Grantaire looked up and saw Isabelle standing in the doorway.

Grantaire quickly closed the scrapbook and stood up. "I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't have come in here."

"Why not? As far as I'm concerned this room was just as much yours as it was Julien's. Hell, this is where you two would always spend your time when you were here. Sometimes you'd go out, but not very often. I'm also fairly certain that it was here where you two made love for the first time." Isabelle teased. Grantaire's face turned bright red at the memory. "You two have a lot of memories in this room."

Grantaire frowned as his eye went back to the scrapbook. "You knew about this?"

"I did. You two tried be secretive about it, but I knew."

"As I flipped through this, it felt like all this stuff happened yesterday." Grantaire ran a thumb over the edges.

"I'm sure." Isabelle smiled. "But in the years since, you have gained so much, including a beautiful son."

"I wouldn't trade Casey for anything. He's the best gift Enjolras ever gave me." Grantaire said. "After I gave birth to him, all I remember thinking was how all of it had been worth it. All of it." Isabell didn't say a word as Grantaire stood up to put the book back before going back to exploring the room.

"So, if that's the case, what is this I hear about you and Julien not being back together?" Isabelle asked.

"It's…"

"Complicated?" Isabelle finished for him. "But it's really not, is it? You two clearly still love each other. Julien still looks at you as if you hang the damn stars in the sky. What's so complicated about that?"

"Casey."

"I see. What is it about Casey that makes it so complicated? His relationship with Julien? It certainly can't be that because from the looks of it downstairs those two are as thick as thieves. Or is that Casey has been first in your life for so long that you're terrified that Julien will take his place and you'll be distracted from Casey?"

"How did you…?" Grantaire asked.

Isabelle chuckled. "I know you almost as well as I know Julien. Look, 'Aire, I understand the concern, I really do, but what is wrong with them both sharing the number one spot in your heart? Just because Julien is also number one, doesn't mean Casey will be pushed aside."

"But if Enjolras and I don't work out, and break up, what happens then? I don't want to lose him, Belle."

"'Aire, he loves you. He's spent six year waiting for you to come back. He could have moved on, but he didn't. His heart belongs to YOU, and no one else. Yes, you've had six years apart and have changed, but that's the best part. You two get to fall in love with person that both of you became in the time you've spent apart." Isabelle said. "Look, I want to tell you that you won't get distracted from Casey. No matter how hard you try not to, it will happen, but that's not going to cause him harm. Casey has a very clear strong attachment to the both of you, and I could see that just from the very few short hours that I've known my grandson. I can't even promise that you and Julien will work out, but 'Aire, how long are you going to wait before you find out? If you let those fears get in the way of what you both clearly want, you will let them control you. You owe it to yourselves too try, and I'm sure that Casey wants to see his parents together."

Before another word was spoken, Enjolras popped in, "Um, 'Taire, Casey is getting tired."

"And that's my cue." Isabelle said, standing up from the bed. "Think about what I said."

Grantaire agreed before Isabelle left.

Enjolras looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What were you two talking about?"

"Not much. Just catching up." Grantaire replied as he shut the light off and closed the door.

Enjolras didn't push for an explanation as he followed Grantaire down the stairs. Clara and Aimee had already taken their leave. Casey hugged his grandparents after Isabelle came in with the extra pumpkin pie she had promised them. Seeing that Casey was struggling to keep his eyes open, Grantaire took him into his arms to carry him to the car. Enjolras grabbed the pie and Casey's backpack.

"See you later." Gabriel and Isabelle called after them as they made their way to the elevator. They waved as they waited for the elevator to come up.

After getting off the elevator, they made their way to Grantaire's car. Grantaire had given Enjolras the keys before he had picked up Casey. Enjolras opened the car door, so he could put Casey in his car seat. Grantaire buckled in his close-to-sleeping son in before closing the door and getting into the driver's seat. Enjolras was already in the car.

The ride was ridden in silence as Grantaire replayed his conversation with Isabelle. He glanced over at Enjolras, who was playing solitaire on his phone. He then used the rear view mirror to glance back at Casey, who was now sleeping.

 _Could he let them share the number one spot in his heart?_ Grantaire thought. He and Casey clearly shared the one in Enjolras'. So, why was it so difficult for him? He loved Enjolras, more than he had ever loved anyone, excluding Casey. He knew it was stupid to believe that they wouldn't get distracted, but could anyone really blame him? Casey had been the center of his universe for six years. From the moment that he had found out that he was pregnant with Casey, his world had revolved around him, and because of that he didn't know how to make it stop, so that his world revolved around two instead of just one.

They arrived back at the apartment building. Enjolras got out of the car to get Casey, so Grantaire grabbed his backpack and the pie. When they made it to the apartment, Grantaire unlocked the door and let Enjolras go inside first. Grantaire turned on the light when he got inside.

Enjolras turned to him. "I'll go put him to bed." He gestured to Casey.

Grantaire walked to him and ran his fingers through Casey's hair and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Casey." He whispered.

Enjolras smiled before carrying him down the hallway to his room. Grantaire brought the pie into the kitchen to place in the refrigerator. He then placed Casey's backpack on the table and started going through it. He was still going through it when Enjolras came back out.

"Well, he is down for the night. I think he had a good time." Enjolras said, leaning against the island.

Grantaire nodded. "Yeah, he did." Not looking up at Enjolras.

It was clear to Enjolras that Grantaire was distracted. He had been since they had left his parent's place. "What's got you so quiet tonight?"

"Nothing." Grantaire said as he put Casey's water bottle in the sink.

"It's not nothing. What did you and my mom talk about?" Enjolras said.

Grantaire closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. "We were talking about Casey, and us. How we aren't together."

Enjolras sighed and looked down, "Grantaire." He walked to stand next to Grantaire.

Grantaire didn't move. "Don't say it, please?"

"I wasn't going to."

They stood in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "A few days ago, you asked me if I was ready to take the leap."

"I did, and?"

Grantaire turned to him. "I am ready. I am. I just…" He stopped himself as he tried to find a way to word his next choice of words. "It's just…Casey has been the center of my universe for six years. I would give my life for him. Casey's needs always came before my own. They had too. And because of that, I don't know how to stop putting them before myself."

"Grantaire, you don't need to."

"I get that we won't be able to stop ourselves from not getting distracted every once in a while because it will regardless like you said." Grantaire said. "I love you, Enjolras. You know that. I want nothing more than for us to officially be a family, I do." He looked away from Enjolras.

Enjolras moved his hand under Grantaire' chin. "Love, look at me." Grantaire moved his head to look back at Enjolras. "I understand all of your fears, my love, I do. But the thing is, you can't let them control you."

"That's the same thing your mom said."

"She is a smart lady." Enjolras laughed. "Listen, I am ready, but if I have to wait I will."

"I know, but I don't want to make you wait anymore. You waited for six years for me to return to you. Even with no explanation. You waited. Believing wholeheartedly that I would."

"Well, I had too. You were always going to be the only one for me. All other men paled in comparison to you. You own my heart, and you will until the end of time." Enjolras vowed.

And in that moment with Enjolras smiling down at him, with such sincerity in his eyes, Grantaire's eyes flicked from Enjolras' eyes to his lips.

"To hell with it."

Grantaire cupped Enjolras' cheek and pulled him closer. He pressed his lips to Enjolras' in a passionate kiss. Enjolras wrapped his arms around Grantaire to bring him even closer while Grantaire wrapped his arms around Enjolras' neck. Grantaire swiped Enjolras' bottom lip, signaling to Enjolras that he wanted entry which he was granted. Allowing their tongues to meet again for the first time in six years. Enjolras moaned into Grantaire's mouth causing him to smile against Enjolras' mouth.

When they pulled away for air, they were panting, heavily. Grantaire placed his forehead against Enjolras'. His hands clenched around the collar of Enjolras' shirt.

"I love you, Enjolras. So much."

"I love you, too." Enjolras pressed a kiss to the tip of Grantaire's nose.

"I'm ready. I swear that I am."

"And everything else?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire shrugged, "I don't know. We'll deal with my fears as we need to, but we'll deal with them together. Right now, I just need to be with you. Be the family that Casey wants so badly."

"Good." Enjolras smiled before pulling him into another kiss.

Neither of them were aware of the small set of eyes, peeking out from the doorway of his bedroom. Casey smiled as he watched his parents kiss. When they pulled away again, Casey quickly hid and went back to his bed, and feel asleep once again with a grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I know what you are all thinking. They got back together too soon, but here are the reasons for why it happened this way.
> 
> 1) I always knew they would get back together in the chapter that contained the flashback of Grantaire giving birth to Casey.
> 
> 2) As I said in the notes of the last chapter, Enjolras and Casey have spent every moment they could together since they officially met. Strengthing their relationship a lot quicker than expected. They are as has been previously stated by Enjolras and Isabelle "thick as thieves".
> 
> 3) From the very beginning, I tried to make it as obvious as I could that Enjolras and Grantaire still loved each other. So, now, it's time to navigate a relationship while being parents.
> 
> 4) There's more story to tell!
> 
> Fun Fact: The two songs that held a lot of inspiration while writing this story were "I've Been Waiting For You" by ABBA (but the version from _Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again_ ) and "I'd Give My Life For You" from _Miss Saigon_
> 
> Come back on Friday for more!


	19. Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With these chapters today, this story is officially the longest ExR story that I've written, word and chapter wise!
> 
> Same as usual!

_February 19 th, 2012_

Two days after giving birth, Grantaire was able to bring Casey home from the hospital. After arriving back at Clara's house, Grantaire opened the door with Casey in his arms.

"Welcome home, little bug." Grantaire looked down at his sleeping son.

Clara and Aimee were behind him with the diaper bag, his duffle bag, and the car seat. Grantaire walked around the home with Casey, showing him the house. He eventually got to the nursery.

"And this is where you will sleep, little bug." Grantaire assured. He then took Casey into his room. "And this is my room. It's not much, but it's enough. There is a crib in here that you'll use for the first six months of your life." Grantaire caught sight of the picture of him and Enjolras on the bedside table. He walked over to grab it. "And this is your daddy, little bug. He can't be with us, but he does love you."

***

Later that night, Clara finished placing dinner on the table and called Grantaire in.

Grantaire sat down to eat, but when Aimee reached to take Casey, he jerked away. "I got him."

"I know, but I just figured you'd like one of us to take him while you eat." Aimee said.

"Okay." Grantaire reluctantly handed Casey over to Aimee in order to eat. Clara made up a bottle for Aimee to feed Casey.

When Grantaire finished, he took Casey back.

"You know Grantaire, you don't have to take care of him, all by yourself." Clara said.

"I know. I just feel that I have too. It's the only way to prove to my parents that I can do this."

Clara sighed. "But here's the thing, Grantaire. You don't have to prove a fucking thing to them. You haven't had to since the day they decided to not accept their son for who he is. So, your parents can go fuck themselves."

Grantaire sat there frozen at his grandmother's words, but then a smile formed on his face, "Alright. I'm going to go take a shower, do you want to?" He gestured to Casey.

Clara came around the table and took the small bundle of joy. Grantaire stood up to go into his bedroom to start getting ready to start his shower. But Grantaire felt his heart was going to burst. Just having his grandmother's support was enough for him to get through this.

***

**_November 2017_ **

The next Wednesday there was another meeting. The only person who knew that they had gotten back together was Casey because the day after Thanksgiving, they sat him down to tell him. Needless to say, Casey had been excited. Now, it was time to tell their friends.

Enjolras let himself into the apartment. He saw that Grantaire was busy getting dinner ready. Enjolras made his way into the kitchen to see his boyfriend.

Boyfriend. Grantaire was his boyfriend again. It felt amazing to be able to say that again.

Enjolras walked to Grantaire, wrapping his arms around his waist, "Hello, love."

"Hello." Grantaire smiled. He turned his head to give Enjolras a kiss. "Casey is in the living room."

"Alright." Enjolras gave his boyfriend another kiss before unwrapping his arms and going into the living room to see his son.

Casey was coloring when he walked in.

"How is my little buddy doing today?" Enjolras asked.

Casey looked up with a big grin on his face, "I'm fine, Daddy."

"That's what I like to hear." Enjolras said, ruffling his son's curls.

"Daddy." Casey groaned after his dad messed up his curls.

Grantaire came into the room to tell Casey that dinner was ready. Casey quickly put his coloring book and crayons away before taking Enjolras' hand to have his help with washing his hands as Grantaire dished up Casey's plate. Grantaire had made a meal of fried chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans and he had just set down Casey's plate when Casey sat down.

"Once you've finished eating, buddy, we'll have to leave." Enjolras reminded.

Casey was eating a piece of chicken. "Will you stay tonight, Daddy?"

"I don't think so, bud." Enjolras said.

"But you and Papa are together now." Casey pouted.

"Yes, we are, but I think we need a little time to get used to it before I start staying over."

"Okay." Casey turned his attention to eating.

Enjolras stood behind his boyfriend with his own plate while Grantaire dished up his own. "Did I give the correct answer?"

"Yes, you did. Besides, if we slept in the same bed now, I don't think we could control ourselves. And I don't want to have s-e-x with him here."

"I agree, so what do you want to do about it? Because I miss cuddling with you while we sleep. You were always the heater to my ice cold toes."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Grantaire teased. "I was thinking maybe this weekend. We take Casey to our special place before dropping him off at Clara and Aimee's or at your parent's place. Then, we can spend our weekend…you know…in bed." Grantaire grinned seductively.

"I can do that, but will Casey agree?"

"If we explain that Papa and Daddy need alone time to get used to being together again, he'll be fine." Grantaire said.

"Alright. Sounds like a date to me." Enjolras kissed Grantaire in agreement.

When Grantaire pulled away, he said. "Good. Now, eat up, buster." He turned to go sit at the table.

"Yes, love." Enjolras began to dish his plate.

***

When they arrived at the Musain, Casey ran to Musichetta, who he knew he could get a piece of chocolate cake from. Grantaire called after him to use his manners. After they watched their son disappear into the kitchen with their friend, Enjolras wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"When did that happen?" Bahorel asked.

"Thanksgiving." Grantaire commented as Casey came back with his cake and glass of milk.

They watch as their friends all turned to hand money to Feuilly, who had called it that they would be together by the end of Thanksgiving. Enjolras and Grantaire shook their heads at their friends' antics.

Enjolras pressed another kiss to Grantaire's temple, then he kissed the top of Casey's head, who had chocolate all over his face. It caused Grantaire to chuckle as he sat down. He opened Casey's backpack to grab the wet wipes to wipe the chocolate off of his son's face. Enjolras went to the front of the room to start the meeting.

***

The weekend came quickly, and Gabriel and Isabelle agreed to watch Casey. Grantaire picked Casey up from school, and when they got home, he and Casey went to start packing his bag.

"But I don't understand why I can't stay with you." Casey said from his bed.

Grantaire put clothes in the bag, then went to sit next to Casey. "Little bug, I know you want to stay, but Daddy and I need time alone for just two nights. We'll pick you up on Sunday very early, so we can spend the day as a family. How does that sound?"

Casey still had a pout on his face, but agreed.

Grantaire pressed a kiss to Casey's forehead. Right as he started to pack the bag again, there was a knock on the door.

"That will be Daddy. Do you want to go and greet him?" Grantaire asked Casey.

Casey hopped off the bed and ran out of the room. He ran to his daddy. Enjolras picked him up to give him a hug.

"Where's Papa?"

"In my bedroom." Casey said. "Daddy, can't I stay with you and Papa?"

Enjolras smiled. "Buddy, it'll only be for two nights, and your grandparents are looking forward to having you over."

"Fine, but I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you, too." Enjolras said, walking into Casey's bedroom and set his son down.

Grantaire smiled at seeing his boyfriend. "Little bug, can you grab your toothbrush and comb from the bathroom?"

"Yes, Papa."

Enjolras walked to him and wrapped his arms around his waist to kiss him. Grantaire pulled away from the kiss.

"Did you get everything?"

"Of course."

"Good. I can't wait."

"And you're still okay with what we've talked about regarding sex? I'm asking because I don't want to hurt you."

"Yes, I am." He pressed his forehead against Enjolras'. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll go put my bag in your room while you finish packing for Casey."

"Alright."

Enjolras left the room, and two seconds later, Casey came back with his comb and toothbrush. "Here you go, Papa."

"Thanks, little bug."

It was another ten minutes before Casey was ready to go. Grantaire had Enjolras check the bag to make sure that Casey had everything. Then, once everything was ready, they each took Casey's hand and left the apartment.

As they made their way down to the parking garage, Grantaire told Casey. "Before we take you to your grandparents, we are going out to eat."

"Okay. Why aren't we eating at home?"

"Because I wanted to treat my two favorite people." Enjolras explained.

Grantaire opened the backseat door to allow Casey to get in while Enjolras went to the other side to put Casey's bag in the car. When Casey was settled in his seat, Grantaire shut the door and got in the driver's seat. Once Grantaire started the car, they were off.

***

Grantaire found a parking spot. After he turned off the car, Enjolras got out and helped Casey down. They once again each took a hand of Casey's. Enjolras lead them in the direction of the restaurant. Casey had no idea where they were going, so he had to ask.

"Daddy, where are we going?"

"It's a restaurant called The Palace."

Grantaire continued. "Known for the best milkshakes this side of the Hudson."

The Palace was a hole in the wall restaurant in New York and it was 50's themed. Specialized in burgers, fries, and milkshakes. It was family owned, passed on from generation to generation. It was also the place that Enjolras had taken Grantaire on their first date in high school.

"And what is so special about this place, Papa?" Casey asked.

Enjolras and Grantaire glanced at each other causing Grantaire to blush. "It's the place where Daddy took me on our first date."

Casey's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really?"

"Yep, little bug. This place holds a very special place in both of our hearts." Grantaire told his son.

Enjolras finished leading them in the direction of The Palace. When they walked in, Casey looked like he was in awe of the place. The waiters and waitresses were rolling around on roller skates. The place also had loud music playing from the jukebox and lit up in neon colors.

"This place is so cool." Casey said.

Grantaire looked around the place and saw that it hadn't changed a bit. He caught Enjolras looking at him and blushed. _Oh, the memories we have in this place_ , Grantaire thought. This had been their special spot. If they couldn't be found in Enjolras' bedroom or at the Musain, this was where they usually were.

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that Enjoltaire?" A voice from behind them said.

Enjolras and Grantaire turned around and saw the owner, Loretta, walk toward them.

"Hello, Loretta." They both said in unison.

Loretta hugged them both, and then she turned to Casey. "And who is this?"

"Our son, Casey."

"I should have known. He looks just like you, Enjolras." Loretta said. Enjolras blushed. "Usual booth?"

"Please." Grantaire said.

Loretta grabbed two regular menus and a children's menu before backing up and rolling along as she led them to their table. Their usual table was in furthest corner from the entrance of the restaurant, near the bathroom. If you sat in the booth, and looked closely at the wall, you would find a carved heart with _E+R_ carved in the middle. After they sat down, she placed the menus on the table and told them that she'd be their waitress. Then, she left to let them decide what it was that they would like.

Grantaire helped Casey find what he wanted. Casey decided on the basket of mini corn dogs with tater tots and chocolate milk to drink. Grantaire then got a notebook out and a box of colored pencils out for Casey to draw with.

He turned to his menu and decided on a bacon cheeseburger with crisscross fries and a vanilla milkshake. Grantaire knew Enjolras would get the same, but with tater tots and a chocolate milkshake instead.

"It sure hasn't changed much." Grantaire commented.

Enjolras shook his head. "Nope. It hasn't. This is probably my favorite place in all of the city."

"Mine too." Grantaire said.

Loretta came back to take their order. Casey wanted to order by himself so he went first. Then, after he ordered, Grantaire told Loretta that like Enjolras he was allergic to peanuts. Loretta being the kind and gentle woman that she was, promised that she would overlook the cooking of Casey's food herself to make sure that no cross-contamination happened. Loretta also made sure to comment on how adorable their son was. Then, she looked at her two favorite customers.

"Same as always for the two of you?" she asked.

Both of them nodded. Loretta rolled away to bring the order to the kitchen and after five minutes, she came back with their milkshakes and milk for Casey before leaving again.

"Papa, how do they do that without dropping anything?" Casey asked, referring to the roller skates the employees wore.

"Lots and lots of practice, little bug." Grantaire told him while he ruffled his hair.

Enjolras smiled at his son. Casey's innocence was one of his favorite things about his son, and he wished more than anything that he could stay like that forever.

Finally, Loretta came with their food. She placed the basket of mini corn dogs in front of Casey with another smile on her face.

"Despite only knowing of his existence for maybe a half hour, I still can't get over how adorable he is." Loretta said.

"Thanks." Both parents said, simultaneously.

"How old is he?" Loretta asked.

"Five, but he'll be six in February." Grantaire replied.

Enjolras poured ketchup in the basket for Casey before his son started eating.

"Well, like I said, he's adorable. I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you." Loretta rolled away.

The family started eating, but when Casey bit into one of the mini corn dogs, he forgot that it was still hot and ended up burning his tongue which caused him to cry out in pain.

"It's okay, little bug. Just remember to blow on it first." Grantaire said. He grabbed Casey's cup of milk. "Here drink some milk."

Casey did what he was told before going back to eat. Making sure to blow on his food this time. Grantaire smiled again before turning to Enjolras, who had a smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing." Enjolras shook his head before putting a fry in his mouth.

Once they finished eating, Loretta insisted that the bill be on the house. Enjolras protested, but when she gave him a stern look, he gave in. They left the restaurant and head up to the Upper East Side to Enjolras' parent's house.

***

Enjolras carried Casey up to the penthouse while Grantaire grabbed his bag. They got off the elevator and were greeted by Enjolras' parents. Enjolras set Casey down, so he could hug his grandparents.

"Hello, my young man." Isabelle said. "Let’s go bring your stuff up to where you will be staying. And guess what, you'll be staying in your daddy's old room."

"Awesome!" Casey's voice was full of excitement.

Isabelle took his hand and led him up the stairs. Enjolras and Grantaire smiled as they reached for each other's hand. Gabriel smiled at them.

"So, is there anything that we should know?" Gabriel said as he walked into the kitchen. The couple followed them.

"Um...he's allergic to the same thing as Enjolras. We already gave you the list of all necessary numbers." Grantaire replied.

"He needs to be fed by 5:30. His bath time is 6:30. Bedtime by 8. He has a book of stories that he likes to be read to him before he falls asleep, and if he's not asleep by the time you're done reading the story, you can run your fingers through his hair." Enjolras explained.

"He'll be content with coloring, but if you have games to play with him, that will be good too." Grantaire said. "That should be all. Anymore questions, you can call."

Gabriel finished writing the information down. "Thanks for letting us do this."

"No problem."

Just then, Isabelle came back down with Casey. Casey ran to his parents. "Do you have to go?"

They bent down to be at eye level with him.

"Little bug, you'll be fine, I promise. And as I said, we'll be back early on Sunday to pick you up, so we can spend the day together." Grantaire said.

"Okay."

"But now, it's time for Papa and I to be on our way. Give us a hug and kiss." Enjolras said. Casey first gave Enjolras a hug and kiss, then gave one to Grantaire.

"We love you, little bug."

"I love you, too."

"We'll call to say goodnight."

Casey nodded before hugging them both again.

"Now, go with your grandmother for your bath." Enjolras said.

Casey turned and walked back to his grandma as Enjolras and Grantaire stood up to take their leave. Isabelle hugged them both and reminded them to use protection before going upstairs with Casey.

They walked to the elevator and got on as they said goodbye to Gabriel. When the door was closed, Enjolras and Grantaire turned and wrapped their arms around each other.

"You ready?" Enjolras asked.

"I've been ready." Grantaire said kissed Enjolras, deeply.

***

When they arrived back at the apartment, Enjolras noticed the frown on Grantaire's face.

"What's wrong?"

"This is the first night that I've been in this apartment without Casey. It's just weird." Grantaire said.

"It's only two nights, and he'll be safe at my parents."

"I know." Grantaire said. "Besides, it will be worth it to have a romantic weekend with you."

Enjolras kissed his boyfriend. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The couple moved into the living room and found a random movie to watch. The plan was that before they did anything, they would say goodnight to Casey. Finally, eight rolled around and Enjolras got out his phone to dial his parents.

His dad answered and brought the phone to Casey. They said goodnight to their son and told him that they loved him. Casey said the same thing before they reminded him to mind his grandparents. Grantaire, at Casey's request, sang the lullaby a few times before he heard his son's even breathing on the other line. Gabriel took the phone back and they said their farewells.

When that was done, they just cuddled on the couch for a little while longer before Grantaire leaned up to kiss Enjolras, prompting a make out session. As the make out session got heated, they knew it was time. After moving the bedroom, they had sex for the first time in six years. Once they were finished, Enjolras rolled off of Grantaire and they laid next to each other, naked and sweaty. Enjolras ran a hand through Grantaire's hair.

"How do you feel?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire, who had a sleepy smile on his face, replied. "Satisfied. God, I missed you."

Enjolras chuckled as he leaned over to kiss Grantaire. "I missed you, too."

***

The next morning, Grantaire woke up and kissed Enjolras' chest to wake up his boyfriend. Once Enjolras awoke, he looked down at Grantaire.

"Good morning, baby."

"Good morning, my love." Enjolras said. "Are you ready for round two?"

"Always, but then it's time for breakfast and we need to call your parents to say good morning to Casey."

Enjolras rolled over Grantaire. "Deal."

They proceeded to have sex for the second time, and after, they cleaned themselves up a little. They went into the kitchen for breakfast where Grantaire cooked up a grand meal of blueberry pancakes, bacon, sunny side eyes, toast, and coffee. While they ate, Enjolras called his parents, so they could talk to Casey.

They talked to Casey for a good half hour before Casey had to end the call because he and his grandparents were going to play Candy Land, and later he promised Isabelle that he'd help her bake chocolate chip cookies. He said a quick "I love you" before hanging up the phone.

"Sounds like he's having a good time." Enjolras commented.

"Yes, it does. I'm glad because now that means that his parents can enjoy themselves a lot more freely." Grantaire leaned over the table to kiss Enjolras.

***

As the day went on, they watched movies, and played multiple games of chess where Grantaire was able to defend his title of greatest amateur chess player in history. Eventually, Grantaire asked Enjolras if he would pose nude for him by saying that he needed new nude drawings of his lover. But Enjolras only agreed after he made Grantaire promise that he would hide the drawings so well that Casey would never see them. Needless to say it turned into another round of sex after Grantaire got his drawing.

Finally, that evening after dinner and saying goodnight to Casey, Grantaire drew them a bath in the bathtub in his bathroom. The bathtub that Casey used wasn't big enough for both of them. As he got the bath ready, Grantaire threw in some bubbles and spread some candles around the room.

Enjolras got in first, followed by Grantaire, who sat in between Enjolras' legs. Enjolras wrapped his arms around Grantaire. As they relaxed in the tub, Enjolras found himself running a finger across one of the scars on Grantaire's chest from his top surgery. Grantaire stopped his love's hand and laced their fingers together.

"How long after you left did you have it done?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire started to play with Enjolras' fingers. "Casey was two when I started T, and three when I had the surgery done."

Enjolras wrapped his arms tighter around Grantaire. "I remember the day that you came out to me."

"Me too. I so terrified of telling you because we hadn't started dating yet, and I had no idea how you'd react." Grantaire said.

Enjolras kissed his neck. "Once you told me, I fell more in love with you because I was so glad that you trusted me enough to tell me, and I reacted by..."

"Kissing me, and declaring that you loved me." Grantaire blushed.

Enjolras kissed his neck again as he whispered, "And I love you more and more every day."

Grantaire turned his head to kiss him.

They stayed in the bath until the water was cold. After Grantaire drained the water, they went into the bedroom where they had sex for the fourth and final time that weekend. Afterward, they laid in the bed, facing each other. Their hands intertwined.

"Now, you can make both Casey and I happy and stay over." Grantaire said with a sleepy smile.

"I sure can. And you and I can sleep in the same bed." Enjolras replied.

Grantaire chuckled. "But I'm still very adamant about us not having sex with Casey in the apartment."

"I agree."

"Come on, we better get some sleep if we have to pick him up early." Grantaire said.

***

The next morning after showering and a good breakfast, they went to go pick up their son. Casey was waiting for them by the elevator when they got off it. He ran to both of them and hugged them both before grabbing them both by their hands, as rambled off about his time with his grandparents.

Enjolras went with him to get his stuff from the room he stayed in while Grantaire stayed with Gabriel and Isabelle, who handed him a container of chocolate chip cookies. Once Casey and Enjolras came back down, they left the penthouse.

Off to enjoy their day as a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Where I'm sure that there are places called "The Palace" in NYC, the one in this story is completely made up.


	20. Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****A MINOR INJURY OCCURS IN THIS CHAPTER. Just thought I'd give a warning because of a quick mention of blood.*****
> 
> You know the spiel.

_February 24 th, 2012_

Grantaire was almost asleep when he heard the sounds of crying coming from the direction of the crib. He threw the blankets off of him and got out of bed. For some reason now that he was standing up, the sounds of crying grew louder. He walked to the crib.

"What's wrong, little bug? Come to Papa." Grantaire picked up his son from the crib and held him. "Are you hungry?" He grabbed a bottle and held it to Casey's mouth, who didn't take the bottle. Grantaire set it down again. "Is it a dirty diaper?" Grantaire brought Casey to the changing table and unbuttoned the onesie that his son was wearing. Sure enough, it was a dirty diaper.

Grantaire quickly changed the diaper and took his baby son back in his arms. "There all better."

He brought him over to the rocking chair and sat down. Grantaire rocked Casey back to sleep. Once he was sure that no movement was going to wake him, Grantaire placed him back in the crib. He leaned down to kiss Casey's forehead before going back to his own bed.

***

**_December 2017_ **

The snow was falling lightly which wasn't a surprise since it was December. Grantaire and Enjolras were wide awake and cuddling when Casey came running into the room and jumped up on the bed, screaming about the snow.

"Papa! Daddy! It's snowing! Can we go get the Christmas tree today? Please!" Casey begged

Grantaire sat up. "Yes, little bug. We'll go get the Christmas tree, but first, we need breakfast."

"Yay!" Casey yelled as he jumped off the bed and ran out of the room.

"Just like any child when it turns into December." Enjolras said as he got out of bed and to his drawer. Grantaire got out of the bed to and walked to the bathroom.

Grantaire had moved some of his clothes around in order to let Enjolras have a drawer since he had slept over every night since the weekend they had spent together.

"He sure is. Just wait until Christmas morning." Grantaire said, coming out of the bathroom. "I'll go get breakfast ready while you get dressed.

Enjolras didn't say anything. He just simply pressed a kiss to Grantaire's lips in agreement. After Grantaire left the room, Enjolras went into the bathroom.

Grantaire walked into the kitchen where Casey was waiting patiently with Bear. "What do you want for breakfast, little bug?"

"French toast and bacon!"

"Sounds good to me because I was thinking the same thing." Grantaire said, getting a bowl down and the milk and eggs from the refrigerator.

Enjolras came out just as Grantaire was putting the bread on a griddle.

"Hey, love, do you want to get plates and silverware down?" Grantaire questioned.

Enjolras did as he was asked. Casey was already sitting at his place at the table, playing with Bear. After a while breakfast was ready, so Grantaire placed a plate of food in front of Casey.

Once they were done eating breakfast, and Casey and Grantaire were dressed, the family headed out to find a Christmas tree.

***

They arrived at the lot to start looking around. Casey ran ahead of his parents.

"Casey! Stay where we can see you!" Enjolras called after him. Enjolras' hand laced with Grantaire's as they followed their son. "So, what does he want for Christmas?"

"The same thing that he wanted last year."

"And that is?"

"A puppy."

Enjolras smiled at Grantaire. "A puppy."

"Yep. He wants a puppy so he can name her Nana after the dog in _Peter Pan_." Grantaire explained. "He wants a puppy as badly as you want a cat."

"Are we going to get him a puppy?"

"We will eventually. The dog would be his responsibility, and right now, he's still too young."

Enjolras agreed and changed the subject. "What will you be doing for Christmas?"

"Probably stay home. Christmas Eve, Casey will open his presents from us before he heads off to bed. On Christmas Day, he'll open his presents from Santa, and then, Clara and Aimee will come for dinner. I invited them yesterday. But we can change that plan, if you want?" Grantaire asked.

"No, that's fine with me. Can we invite my parents, too? I already know that they won't be doing much." Enjolras inquired.

"I don't see why not." Grantaire then continued to explain their Christmas plans. "I'm sure that our friends will insist on a Christmas party since we'll be doing Secret Santa with them, and I can almost guarantee that they will spoil Casey. So, that takes care of our Christmas plans."

"Good." Enjolras kissed Grantaire, chastely.

Just then, Casey came running up to them. "Papa! Daddy! I found the tree."

"Then, let's go see it." Grantaire said, following after Casey with his hand still laced with Enjolras'.

Casey showed them the tree that he picked out. It was perfect for their apartment and it was just within their price range. Enjolras went to go find one of the workers, so they could purchase the Christmas tree.

Once the tree was bought and paid for, Grantaire agreed to have the tree delivered. Since the tree wouldn't be delivered until the next day, the family got the tree decorations down from the storage closet and placed them next to the area where the tree would go.

***

The next day after the tree arrived, the family spent the day decorating it. After it was decorated, Casey insisted on making Christmas cookies after, but instead Grantaire promised that they would make cookies once Casey was out of school for the holidays and sent him off to play.

Enjolras finished putting the boxes away and asked. "When does he get off school?"

"December 20th and he doesn't go back until January 8th." Grantaire replied

They finished cleaning up and once they were finished, the couple went to go sit down on the couch to watch Casey as he played. Grantaire placed his head on Enjolras' shoulder. Enjolras wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

***

Later that week, it was time for a meeting. There wasn't much on the agenda since they were winding down for the year which caused the meeting to not be very long. As the rest of the group mingled around, Casey was sitting with Cosette as he colored. Casey eventually finished his drawing and was anxious to show it to Grantaire. But as Casey ran to get to his papa, he ended up tripping on his own feet and ended up falling and scraping his elbow on the wooden floor. He started crying for Grantaire.

Grantaire, who had been talking with Combeferre and Bahorel, sprang into action. Éponine had helped him up and was sitting with him in her lap when Grantaire came to take him from her. He set him on top of one of the tables. Enjolras immediately at his side. Musichetta was already getting the first aid kit.

Grantaire checked Casey's elbow. It was dripping blood, but it didn't need to be stitched. Joly came with the first aid kit, but he knew better than to try and get a look at the injury since it was clear that Casey wouldn't allow anyone near him, except for his parents.

"It's alright, buddy. It's just a scrape. You'll be okay." Enjolras soothed as he combed his fingers through Casey's hair, who was still crying.

Grantaire cleaned the blood from Casey's arm, and once he was sure that it had stopped bleeding, he put some Neosporin on it. Then, he placed a Lightening McQueen Band-Aid over it. He cleaned up the mess from his quick doctoring of his son's arm. Enjolras wasn't having much luck in calming Casey down, so when Grantaire came back he took over.

He took Casey into his arms, "It's alright, little bug. Dry those tears. It was just a scrape, that's it. You're going to be just fine."

Enjolras backed away, realizing that his boyfriend had it under control, but he still couldn't help the feeling of hurt that pushed its way through his chest.

***

After the accident, Casey attached himself to Grantaire's hip the rest of the night, including through bath time and putting him to bed. Even after, Enjolras had finished the story and Grantaire started the lullaby, Casey refused to let go of Grantaire. Seeing that he wasn't needed, Enjolras went back to Grantaire's bedroom.

He still didn't think of the bedroom as theirs and he didn't think that he would until he had more than a single drawer of clothes in there. Enjolras got ready for bed and was reading a book he had brought over when Grantaire came into the room.

"He alright?" Enjolras asked, looking up from the book.

Grantaire came to sit down on the bed. "Yeah, he's alright. My question is, are you alright? You've hardly said a word since we got back from the meeting."

"I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

Grantaire looked at him, skeptically, before he accepted the answer, "Alright, but you will talk to me if something was bothering you?"

Enjolras gave a brief smile. "Of course."

Grantaire pressed a kiss to his cheek before going to get ready for bed himself.

***

Over the next couple of days, it became clear to Enjolras that Casey was going to Grantaire for everything. He wanted Grantaire to take him to the bathroom whenever they were in public. Any scrapes or cuts had to be cleaned and bandaged by Grantaire. He wanted Grantaire to help him get dressed before school and after his bath. Grantaire was called for everything, and while Enjolras was sure that it was nothing to worry about. Probably just a phase that Casey was going through, he still couldn't help but wonder if he had done something wrong.

After a few more days of it, Enjolras found himself talking about it to Combeferre, and Éponine, by extension, since she had been there when he had come back.

"Enj, it's probably nothing. Just a phase that he's going through." Combeferre told him after he finished explaining.

"Yeah, I mean, we all know how attached he is to you." Éponine didn't look up from where she was repainting her nails black. Her feet in her boyfriend's lap.

"I know, but what if it isn't?" That got Éponine’s attention since they both raised an eyebrow at him. "I just…I know that he loves me, I know that, but it's also been just him and Grantaire for five years and now, there's three of us. It's a big change for him, too."

"Then, you need to talk to Grantaire about it." Combeferre said.

"I know."

"So, go and grab whatever you need, and get your ass back over there."

Enjolras held his hands up in surrender at Éponine's comment since he knew better than to argue with her. He went to grab more clothes, said goodbye to his friends, and was off to go talk to Grantaire.

***

Grantaire was folding laundry on the couch and there was no sign of Casey when Enjolras got back. He dropped his bag next to the door and walked into the living room. Enjolras sat down next to his boyfriend, who greeted him with a kiss. Enjolras took a shirt from the pile of clothes to fold to use as a distraction.

"Where's Casey?" Enjolras asked.

"Clara and Aimee took him to get ice cream at Serendipity 3 before they brought him home. They should be back in like 15 minutes." Grantaire said after looking at his phone for the time.

"I see." They needed to talk about what was bothering him, but he didn't know how to bring it up. Enjolras decided to just go for it. "Um…love, can we talk?"

Grantaire stopped folding one of Casey's shirts and looked at him. "Sure. What's wrong?"

"It's about Casey."

"What about Casey?"

Enjolras sighed as he found the words. "Now, I'm probably just overthinking it and worried over nothing, and I feel very stupid about this, but I just…have you noticed how attached Casey has become to you over the last few days since he tripped and scraped his elbow at the Musain? He has been coming to you for everything, I try to help, and he just pushes me away. Like I said, I'm probably overthinking it, and it's just a phase that he's going through. But I just…I don't know what happened. Maybe it has to do with the fact that for five years it was just you and him, and now, it's you, me, and him. But the thing is, it never used to be an issue until we got back together. I just don't know what I did." He didn't realize that he had tears coming down his cheeks until Grantaire wiped one away.

"'Jolras, remember when I told you how he gets super attached to me when he's sick?"

"Yes." Enjolras raised an eyebrow at him.

"He gets the same way when he has a bump, bruise, or cut." Grantaire explained. Enjolras groaned and placed his face in his hands. "So, yes, my love, you are overthinking it. It's nothing that you did, I promise. Just give it a few more days and he'll be over it."

"But what if he isn't? What if you were right and we've started to get distracted and he's taking it out on me?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire looked at Enjolras with sympathy filling his eyes. His boyfriend was clearly very worried about this. "Love, no. You are worried over nothing, I swear."

"But-" Enjolras started, but he was cut off by Grantaire.

"Come with me." Grantaire said, standing up, and holding out his hand. Enjolras took it and they walked to Casey's bedroom. "I was going to have him be the one to show you this, but you clearly need it."

Grantaire opened a drawer and took out a binder. He opened it to a page before handing it to Enjolras. Enjolras took it gently. The binder was full of drawings and colored pages that Casey had done, kept in using plastic sleeves. Enjolras looked down at the page that Grantaire had opened up to.

It was a drawing of Enjolras, dressed in a superhero costume with a "D" on the chest and he was in a superhero stance. His right hand in a fist, resting on his hip. His left hand was in a fist too, but that fist was punching the sky. He was standing on top of the world. Casey had also drawn himself in the picture, looking up at him with a smile on his face. Above the drawing it said: My Hero Is My Daddy.

Enjolras looked back up at Grantaire with tears in his eyes. Grantaire smiled.

"He drew that after he met you. You were already his hero before he met you, you are even more so now." Grantaire took the binder from Enjolras and set it on the bed still open to the picture of the drawing. He took Enjolras' hands in his. "'Jolras, Casey loves you. Don't ever doubt that. Hell, sometimes I think that he loves you more he loves me, even though I know that I am being ridiculous in thinking that. You are working yourself up over nothing. It is just a phase,"

"Okay. Thanks, love." Enjolras kissed Grantaire. "Do you think I could have that drawing?"

Grantaire hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I don't think that I should be the one to give it you. It's Casey's drawing, not mine. I'm sure one day he'd like to be the one to give it to you."

Enjolras frowned, but it disappeared quickly because he knew that Grantaire was right.

"Now, help me fold the rest of the laundry before Casey gets back." Grantaire pulled him from Casey's room after putting the binder back in the drawer.

They were still folding laundry when Casey came in the door. When he saw that Enjolras was there, he ran straight to him.

"Daddy!" Casey hugged Enjolras.

"Hello, buddy. How did you enjoy Serendipity 3?" Enjolras asked.

"It was great. I have never seen so much ice cream before." Casey exclaimed.

Grantaire finished saying goodbye to Aimee and Clara before going back to his folding. Casey wanted Enjolras to play Chutes and Ladders with him, so he had to give up helping Grantaire with the laundry. He went to go sit on the floor while Casey got the game out. Enjolras turned his head to Grantaire, who simply mouthed, "I told you so", with a sly smirk. Enjolras shook his head, affectionately, and turned his attention back to Casey, who was getting the game ready.

And just like that everything was back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike The Palace, Serendipity 3 is a real restaurant in NYC.
> 
> 20 and 21 will be posted on Monday!


	21. Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the spiel.

_April 22 nd, 2012_

Grantaire sat at the table in the kitchen, attempting to do some school work. He had turned in plenty of work before Casey was born, but now he wanted to stay ahead. The only problem was that he was exhausted. Casey had kept him up most of the night before, and every time he laid Casey down for his nap, he would scream bloody murder. He needed to finish this paper, but with a screaming child that wouldn't sleep, it looked like that was not going to happen.

Casey started crying again causing Grantaire to stop working so he could attend to his crying son, but everything he tried just wasn't working. He eventually took to standing up and bouncing him as he paced.

"Little bug, please, calm down. Papa is doing the best that he can here." Grantaire begged, but to no avail.

This lasted for another good ten minutes until Aimee and Clara came home from grocery shopping. They set the bags down, and Clara could see that Grantaire was close to ripping his hair out. She asked if Aimee could put the groceries away, who just nodded.

Clara walked to Grantaire. "Can I give it a try?"

Grantaire gently handed Casey over to Clara. "Sure."

Clara took Casey into her arms and went to go sit in the rocking chair in the living room. Grantaire followed. As she rocked Casey, he still didn't stop crying.

"I've tried everything to get him to stop, but none of it works, and I don't know what to do." Grantaire took a seat on the couch.

"Sometimes babies just need to cry." Clara said.

When even the rocking didn't help, Clara tried another alternative. She started to sing a lullaby in a sweet and gentle voice that by some miracle did the trick. ♫ _Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green. When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen. Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so? 'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so.♫_

Grantaire was amazed when it actually started to put Casey to sleep. Clara just kept singing the lullaby over and over until he was finally asleep.

Once Casey was asleep, Grantaire stood up to take him from her, but she refused. "I got it. You're taking the night off of Papa duty. Aimee and I can take care of him. You go rest a while."

Grantaire hesitated, but once Clara mentioned that she wasn't taking no for answer, he gave in. As he left the room, Clara told him that Aimee had pictures for him to put in the baby book for Enjolras.

After grabbing the pictures from Aimee, Grantaire went to his bedroom. He grabbed the baby book and added the pictures of Casey. There weren't many to add, but he also had to some writing to put in it as well. Grantaire completed his updates, then went to go check on Casey. His son was obviously in capable hands, so Grantaire went back to his bedroom and settled down for a long nap.

***

**_December 2017_ **

Christmas came quickly after they got their tree. Enjolras and Grantaire had gone Christmas shopping for Casey one day when Aimee and Clara had taken him for a few hours. They had agreed to get him one present separately, and then a present together. They knew that their friends and family were going to spoil him anyway.

The Christmas party with their friends was scheduled for the Friday before Christmas, and it was two days after Casey was out of school for the holidays. They had already picked names. Enjolras had gotten Musichetta and Grantaire had gotten Bahorel. Picking presents for their friends was always hard because it had to be kept under $30, but they both eventually found their presents. Enjolras had found Musichetta's favorite Spanish candy and Grantaire had bought Bahorel a new gym bag since he needed it.

The party was going to start earlier than usual for Casey's sake. Grantaire and Enjolras had agreed to be lenient on Casey's bedtime (by pushing it back a half hour) if only for the reason that the next day was Saturday, and they hoped that Casey would sleep in a little.

They arrived at Cosette and Marius' apartment since it was their turn to host the party. Enjolras had been very clear in telling Casey to not touch anything unless he asked first. Cosette led Casey to the tree, so that he could help her put the presents it. Marius took their coats after they had stepped further into the apartment.

"You're late." Bahorel joked.

"When you have a child, you'll understand why." Enjolras said.

"Don't worry about being late, you're here. That's all that matters." Marius came back into the room from putting the coats in one of the bedrooms.

"Yes. Now, it's time to sit down and eat." Cosette said.

Cosette walked into the kitchen to remove the covers from the food. There was a pan of meat lasagna and a pan of vegetarian lasagna. Courfeyrac attempted to go first, but Jehan grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Let Casey go first." Jehan hissed.

Enjolras got plates for himself and Casey, and started making his way down the line, Grantaire following after. Once the small family had gone through, everyone else did too. They sat down to eat and enjoy each other's company.

After they had eaten, Cosette had Marius' help in the kitchen doing dishes and putting the food away, so that they could open presents as soon as possible. As they waited, Casey sat with Grantaire and Enjolras. Cosette had made sure to keep all of Casey's presents in one pile, so that they'd be easier to get to. After the dishes were done, it only took ten minutes before everyone was sitting in the living room in order to watch Casey open his presents.

Casey opened the present from Cosette and Marius first which was a set of three brand new coloring books that had African safari animals, trains, and Disney characters on them. The next present was from Courfeyrac and Jehan which was a stuffed gorilla from the Bronx Zoo. Then, from Combeferre and Éponine, who had given him brand new boxes of colored pencils and crayons. Then, Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta gave a collection of sea life coloring books. Finally, Bahorel and Feuilly gave him passes to Coney Island to be used in the summer. When asked which present was favorite, Casey had simply said that he loved all of his presents that he couldn't pick a favorite. Casey finished hugging and thanking all of his aunts and uncles.

Now, it was time for the adults to trade their presents.

Bahorel and Musichetta both loved their presents, making Enjolras and Grantaire very happy. Jehan had drawn Enjolras' name and had given him a brand new book bag because he had been saying for years that he needed a new one, but wouldn't put the money down for one. Marius had drawn Grantaire's name and had given him a brand new sketchbook and pencils.

The last present to be given had been chipped in by all of them for the family of three. Combeferre handed it to Grantaire, who looked over at Enjolras, who had Casey in his lap. He ripped open the paper to reveal a box. After opening the box, it revealed a picture frame with a picture that had been taken by Cosette at the zoo way back in October. It was a picture taken from behind with Casey in between his parents as they walked, both of them holding Casey's hands and looking down at him.

Grantaire wiped a tear away and looked up at his friends to say thank you. He turned to Enjolras to press a kiss to cheek.

They had a dessert of gingerbread men cookies. Then, while they ate their cookies, Joly and Jehan got the presents ready for the white elephant that could only consist of gag presents that cost under $10 or was something that they wanted to give away.

Grantaire had ended up with an ugly Christmas sweeter that had once been Courfeyrac's. Enjolras had ended up getting his first present stolen, which had been a box of chocolates. When he had Casey pick out the newest gift, it ended up being different sets of gel pens that Cosette had put in. He had been happy with that gift because he could use the new pens for his grading. But the best gift of the night was the toilet coffee mug that Combeferre had ended up getting from Bahorel.

It soon reached time for Enjolras, Grantaire, and Casey to head out. They made their way around the apartment to say goodnight to their friends. The party would be going on for a little while longer by Courfeyrac breaking out the alcohol.

When they arrived back home, Grantaire gave Casey his bath while Enjolras had put the presents away. Casey got into the bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

His parents spent a little time after putting him to bed making sure they had all the supplies for making Christmas cookies the next day. Then, they went to bed. Grantaire cuddled up next to Enjolras. His hand playing with his locket.

"What are you thinking about?" Enjolras asked.

"I think it might be time to change one of the pictures in my locket. I just don't know which one. The picture of us means too much to me to change it, plus it's what was inside when you gave it to me. Then, I added the one of Casey after he was born, but now, I want a picture that represents the family we have." Grantaire explained.

"Alright, so we'll replace the picture of Casey with a family picture. Problem solved." Enjolras commented.

Grantaire didn't reply, only smiled. He closed his eyes and falling asleep, knowing that going to sleep early was the best choice because Casey would be waking them up, bright and early.

***

Grantaire woke up to the feeling of Enjolras kissing his neck. He smiled widely before rolling over to wish his boyfriend a good morning with a kiss.

When they pulled away, Enjolras asked. "How long do you think it will be before he comes running in?"

Grantaire turned his head to glance at the clock. It was only 8:08 A.M. "I'm hoping at least another hour, but I doubt that it will be. Why?"

"Just curious." Enjolras said. "I figured we could try to sleep a little bit more."

Grantaire kissed his boyfriend again. Their kisses were hard and passionate as Grantaire rolled on top of Enjolras as they continued to kiss. After they had spent their weekend together, Grantaire had agreed to having make out sessions, but clothes had to stay on.

They weren't even five minutes into the session when Grantaire heard the unmistakable sound of pitter patter in the hallway. He rolled off of Enjolras just in time for the door to swing open and Casey come bursting through. He jumped up on the bed.

"Do we start cookies now? I want cookies!" Casey cried in excitement as his parents sat up.

"Patience, Casey." Grantaire said. "First, breakfast, and then, you need to get dressed."

"But I want cookies." Casey pouted with his arms crossed.

"And you'll get cookies, but you need to be patient."

"Fine."

Enjolras smiled as he pulled his son in between him and Grantaire. "In the meantime, here comes the tickle monster." He started tickling Casey, who laughed with pure joy.

"Daddy! Daddy, stop!" Casey cried as he continued laughing, Enjolras and Grantaire joined in the laughter.

Enjolras eventually stopped tickling him and pulled him into his arms. He kissed his forehead. "I love you, Casey."

"I love you, too, Daddy." Casey said before turning to Grantaire. "And I love you, Papa."

"I love you, little bug." Grantaire told his son as he hugged him. "Now, let Daddy and Papa get out of bed and made you breakfast, and then, we will begin making cookies."

They got out of bed, went into the kitchen to get breakfast ready, and then after breakfast, they all got dressed. Grantaire got the cookbook down, asking Casey what cookies he wanted to start with. Chocolate chip, M&M, or sugar.

"Sugar because those are Santa's favorite. He came to our school and said so." Casey replied.

Every year around Christmas, Casey's school had a charity book drive for the orphanages in the city where the students donate books, and afterward got a candy cane from Santa. After Casey brought his books and got his candy cane, he had asked Santa what his favorite cookie was.

"Alright, we'll start with sugar. Have Daddy's help in getting everything down." Grantaire flipped to the recipe and started to list the ingredients off.

***

Around three in the afternoon, the small family had enough cookies to feed a small army. They only stopped to have something for lunch. Grantaire sent Casey off to play while the cookies cooled. In the meantime, Enjolras and Grantaire did the dishes.

"Have you thought about what to do for dinner?" Enjolras asked.

"I'm thinking of just ordering Chinese. I'm not in the mood to cook anything after baking all day." Grantaire replied.

"Totally understandable."

After they finished the dishes, Grantaire figured that the cookies were cooled enough, so Casey could taste all three. He got him a glass of milk and called him into the kitchen. He let Casey choose the cookies, then Casey sat down at the table to have his snack. When he was done, Casey gave a thumbs up to Grantaire before finishing off the milk.

"I talk it the thumbs up means they are up to his satisfaction." Enjolras whispered to which Grantaire smiled.

***

A day later, it was Christmas Eve, and Casey was anxious to open more presents. Grantaire had cooked a simple meal of baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and dinner rolls. Casey had to eat before he could open his presents. He would open the three from his parents on Christmas Eve, and then the next morning would be the presents from Santa and his aunt and grandparents.

The family finished eating, and after Grantaire put the leftovers away, it was time for Casey to open his presents. Enjolras and Grantaire took their places on the couch (they'd exchange presents later) as Casey collected his presents.

Casey opened Grantaire's present first which was a brand new set of oil pastels that Grantaire had caught Casey looking at a few months back when they had been in an art store. He then opened Enjolras' present which was a fleece tie blanket that was green on one side and red on the other that Grantaire had helped him make. Casey looked at him in confusion.

"Red and green so it seems like you are wrapped in Papa and Daddy's love." Enjolras explained.

The last present was one that they decided on together. It was a family of stuffed bears that were connected by a magnet in the paw. One said "Papa" dressed like Grantaire, one said "Daddy" dressed like Enjolras, and the baby bear said "Casey" dressed like him.

"I love them!" Casey exclaimed, clutching them to his chest before standing up and hugging his parents.

"We are so glad, but little bug, these are stuffed animals that you can't play with." Grantaire told him.

"I will put them in my room, Papa."

Casey put the pastels with his art supplies before bringing the blanket and bears to his room. Then, Enjolras got his bath ready.

After his bath, Grantaire had Casey's help in putting the cookies and milk out for Santa on the coffee table, next to the tree.

"Now, it's time for bed, little bug. You need to be asleep before Santa comes." Grantaire said.

Casey ran to his bedroom with his parents following after. Enjolras had grabbed his copy of _The Night before Christmas_. Casey got in the bed and pulled the covers over himself before Grantaire tucked him in. Afterward, his parents laid down next to him, so Enjolras could read him the bedtime story.

Enjolras finished reading, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!" He closed the book and looked over to his boyfriend and son, both of whom were asleep. Casey's head was laying on Grantaire's shoulder. Enjolras set the book down. He leaned over to kiss Casey's forehead. Then, he slowly got out of the bed to walk around to gently shake Grantaire awake.

Grantaire woke up and realized that he fell asleep. He glanced down at Casey, who was still asleep. He gently removed himself from underneath Casey. Grantaire pressed a kiss to his forehead before he followed Enjolras out.

They waited a couple hours to make sure that Casey wasn't going to wake up before going to the linen closet to grab the presents that were supposed to be from Santa and put them underneath the tree. Then, they finished the cookies and milk off between them.

After taking care of the presents, they went into the bedroom and got ready for bed. Grantaire brought out his present for Enjolras as he climbed in the bed. He handed it to Enjolras, who opened it up. Enjolras discovered that it was a DVD, but with no title. He looked at Grantaire confused.

"It's the home videos that Aimee took while we were in Syosset of the first five years of his life. It has his first birthday, when he learned to walk, and much more. I know all of this was mentioned in the baby book, but Aimee found the camera with the video about a month ago, and well…I made it into that. It's just one more thing to give those five years back to you." Grantaire explained.

Enjolras looked at Grantaire with tears in his eyes. Despite him forgiving Grantaire, he knew that Grantaire would never forgive himself for leaving. Enjolras smiled at Grantaire weakly before cupping his face and giving him a deep and passionate kiss.

"Thank you." Enjolras whispered against his mouth. Then, he pulled away. "And now, it's time for your present." He reached over to the bedside table to pull the small box from inside. He handed it to Grantaire.

Grantaire had a sneaking suspicion of what it was already. He opened the box to discover his locket was inside. It had gone missing the day before. Grantaire had thought the chain had snapped until he asked Enjolras about it and his boyfriend had gone stiff. Plus, there was a fact that Enjolras had disappeared for a few hours without telling him where he was going. That was when he realized that his boyfriend was the culprit of his locket going missing.

He took the locket out of the box and looked up at Enjolras. "How did you get it off of me?"

"I took it off while you were sleeping. I hoped that you wouldn't realize that it was missing, but then you asked me about it. I just didn't want to give it back right away." Enjolras said. "Are you going to open it?"

Grantaire opened the locket only to see that the picture of Casey had been replaced with the selfie of the three of them Enjolras had taken when they had been picking out the tree. They were smiling widely at the camera.

"You said you wanted a new picture of all of us in there, so there you go." Enjolras commented.

Grantaire smiled at Enjolras before leaning over to kiss him. "Would you put it on me?"

Enjolras took the locket from Grantaire's hands. Grantaire turned to face away from him. He unclasped the chain and brought it around Grantaire. The necklace fell right where it was supposed to, just below Grantaire's collarbone above his heart. Enjolras clasped the locket again.

"There. Back where it belongs." Enjolras said as Grantaire turned to face him. He leaned forward to kiss Grantaire.

Grantaire pulled away from his lover to nuzzle him. "I love you, so much, Enjolras."

"And I love you." Enjolras told him.

***

Morning arrived too early with Casey jumping on the bed, screaming that Santa had been there. Enjolras and Grantaire woke groggily as they were pulled out of the bed by an overly-excited five-year old. Grantaire would be lenient with breakfast until all of his presents from Santa were opened. One by one, Casey opened each present with wide grins plastered on his face, ripping open the paper. Enjolras had his arms wrapped around Grantaire as they sat on the couch, watching their son open his presents.

Soon all of the presents were opened, and Casey was playing with the pirate set that Santa had brought him, while Grantaire was in the kitchen making breakfast with Enjolras' help. Enjolras had steadily gotten better in the kitchen over the course of the last few months. He was nowhere near Grantaire's expertise, but he'd get there.

After breakfast, Enjolras sat reading a book as Casey played with his new toys. Grantaire was in the kitchen getting everything ready for their Christmas dinner. Aimee, Clara, Isabelle, and Gabriel would be arriving at three in the afternoon for Christmas. Grantaire wasn't going to make the traditional Christmas dinner because that was what they had the night before. Instead, their Christmas dinner was going to be tacos, at the request of Casey, and homemade brownies and ice cream for dessert.

Grantaire finished putting the taco meat in the slow cooker and walked into the living room where his son and boyfriend were. He sat down next to Enjolras, who put his book down and smiled up at him.

"Everything ready?" Enjolras asked, wrapping an arm around Grantaire's shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Mostly."

Enjolras kissed his temple before going back to his book.

***

Three o'clock rolled around, and the first to arrive were Isabelle and Gabriel. They knocked on the door and since Enjolras was the closest, he opened it.

"Please, come in. I'm glad you found the building without any trouble." Enjolras took their coats.

Isabelle shrugged it off. "It's quite easy to find." She kissed Enjolras' cheek before walking into the kitchen to greet Grantaire.

Enjolras put the coats on the rack, then took the box of presents from his father.

"How is the little one?" Gabriel asked.

Enjolras smiled. "Good. Just like any child on Christmas. He's in the living room, waiting to play checkers with you."

Enjolras pointed in the direction of the living room. He walked into the kitchen where Grantaire was trying to get Isabelle out of it.

"I got it! Everything is almost ready, so shoo!" Grantaire shooed.

Isabelle gave up and followed Enjolras into the living room.

About 10 minutes later, Enjolras was getting the door again for Aimee and Clara, who each gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking in to the living room to put their presents under the tree.

Once everything was ready, Grantaire called them into the kitchen for dinner. He announced that it was buffet style, so they could have as much or as little as they wanted. Casey came to the front of the line where Grantaire helped him with his plate before sitting him down at his usual spot at the table. Once everyone was sitting down, they had great conversations of catching up.

After they ate, Aimee, Clara, and Isabelle shooed Grantaire out of the kitchen, so they could clean up.

"You cooked. We are cleaning up." Clara pushed him out of the room.

He walked into the living room where Gabriel was playing Enjolras in a game of chess. From what he could tell, Gabriel was being beaten. Grantaire smiled as Casey came to sit on his lap, showing him the picture that he had colored with his pastels.

After everything was cleaned up, Aimee, Clara, and Isabelle came into the room with mugs of hot chocolate. Isabelle looked around the room. Then, she turned to Grantaire with a smile on her face.

"You've done well for yourself, 'Aire."

"Thank you. It was very important to me that Casey would have all that he needed in life." Grantaire said.

"Well, you have most certainly done that." Isabelle said.

After a little while, Gabriel had lost three games of chess, calling rematches because there was no way that Enjolras won all three. But before they could play another game, Casey asked if he could open his presents. His parents nodded, and Casey started to hand out presents to everyone in the room. After the presents were set out in piles, it wasn't a surprise that Casey's pile was the largest.

Casey opened his presents first. He had five presents in all. One from Gabriel (his old train set that he had shown Casey at Thanksgiving), one from Isabelle (two new shirts that had a pirate ship on one and a teddy bear on the other), one present from staff at Enjolras' parent's house (they had chipped in and got Casey a new storybook about a kind pirate captain and his crew), one from Clara (which was another blanket that she had knitted), and the final present was from Aimee (which had been another stuffed animal for his collection that was a giraffe). Casey loved all of his presents and thanked each one of them for them.

Grantaire and Enjolras had also gotten presents from them as well and vice versa, which they opened after Casey had opened his.

After all presents were opened, it was time for brownies and ice cream, and then they sat around watching _The Polar Express_. After their guests had taken their leave, Enjolras got Casey's bed ready as Grantaire gave Casey his bath.

As Casey played in the water, Grantaire asked him. "Did you have a good Christmas, little bug?"

"Yes, Papa, I did. I love every single one of my presents." Casey told his father.

After Casey's bath was finished and he was in bed, Enjolras read him _How the Grinch Stole Christmas._ But before Grantaire sang the lullaby, Casey remembered something.

"Wait!" Casey crawled out of the bed and to his dresser. He opened the drawer that held the binder of his drawings. He found the one he was looking for and took it out of its plastic sleeve. Casey walked back to the bed and climbed up. He handed the piece of paper out to Enjolras. "Merry Christmas, Daddy."

Enjolras looked down. It was the drawing that Grantaire had showed him. He felt tears sting behind his eyes. "Thank you, buddy." He pulled Casey in for a hug and kissed his cheek. "But now, it's time for you to crawl back under the covers, so Papa can sing the lullaby."

Casey laid back down under the covers, so Grantaire could sing the lullaby. Once Casey was asleep, they kissed their son's forehead before leaving the bedroom to go into the living room. Enjolras stared at the drawing for a few seconds. Grantaire wrapped his arms around his waist.

"I told you he would give you the drawing." Grantaire said. Enjolras turned his head to kiss his cheek.

Enjolras went to go set the drawing in the bedroom and came back out to the living room. The boyfriends cuddled on the couch to watch Grantaire's favorite Christmas movie, _The Santa Clause_ , while they drank hot chocolate with the Christmas lights being the only lights on in the room.

Enjolras kissed Grantaire's temple before whispering. "Merry Christmas, my love."

"Merry Christmas, 'Jolras." Grantaire replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The toilet coffee mug is actually a real present one of my uncles received in a white elephant exchange one year at a family Christmas.


	22. Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not mine, I only own Casey and the plot. Blah, blah, blah. Just continue scrolling to the new chapter. :)

_November 17 th, 2012_

Grantaire was in the kitchen, holding Casey on his hip as he got himself a mug of coffee. He had just finished feeding Casey and was heading into the living room to work on homework while his son played.

In the nine months since Casey was born, he had so many firsts. Grantaire had gotten pictures and written so many letters to Enjolras regarding each one that he almost couldn't keep up. His son looked so much like Enjolras it was uncanny. He had Enjolras' beautiful sky blue eyes, his blonde curls. His daddy's facial features. And due to that, and the fact that Casey was a sweetheart, Grantaire had so much love in his heart for Casey.

And because of Casey, Grantaire found himself loving Enjolras more and more each day.

Grantaire finished getting his coffee and walked into the living room. He set Casey on the blanket where a few of his toys were. He sat down on the floor next to the coffee table where his computer was sitting, so he could watch Casey better. He looked over at Casey, who was playing with a set of toy keys and smiled. Grantaire glanced back over at his computer screen to the photo that he was photo shopping for one of his classes when he heard something that made his heart burst.

"Pa-pa." Casey pointed at Grantaire.

Grantaire looked over at Casey. "Did you just…?"

"Pa-pa." Casey said, again.

Grantaire felt tears in his eyes as he crawled over to Casey to pick him up. "Your first word, little bug."

"Pa-pa." Casey said, smiling up at Grantaire.

"That's right. I'm Papa." Grantaire told him before kissing his son's cheek.

When Casey was put down for his nap, Grantaire wrote down the story of Casey's first word down for the baby book.

***

**_February 2018_ **

It was two weeks before Casey's sixth birthday. He had said that he wanted a pirate themed birthday party. They had permission to have the birthday party at the Musain in the room upstairs. Casey had invited a few friends from his kindergarten class, as well as his aunts and uncles, Enjolras' parents, Aimee, and Clara. To the surprise of his parents, he had asked for no presents except for cards. He said that he had everything that he had wanted before hugging both his parents.

On a Friday that Grantaire had the apartment to himself, he sat at the island in their apartment, trying to come up with the menu for the party. But he was taken by surprise when Enjolras walked into the apartment, setting his bag down.

Grantaire looked up. "What are you doing here?"

Enjolras walked to his boyfriend. "It was a half-day today, and I guess, I forgot to tell you about it." He kissed Grantaire, and then wrapped his arms around Grantaire's waist. "What are you doing, love?"

"Planning Casey's birthday menu, but it would be more helpful if Casey would just tell us what he would like. I have marble cake with whipped vanilla frosting, but that's it, so far." Grantaire showed Enjolras the notebook that he was using to plan Casey's birthday party.

"Well, what are his favorite foods? Put those on the menu." Enjolras said. "I mean, we know that he loves tacos, so that takes care of the main dish. He loves fruit, so fruit salad. Maybe some carrot sticks. Love, everything will be fine." He kissed his love's temple.

"You're right."

Enjolras went to go get his bag, then came to sit down next to Grantaire. He got out his students' assignments to start grading them. Grantaire glanced over at him as he graded. His heart swelling with love.

"Um…'Jolras, can we talk about something?" Grantaire asked, putting his pen down to take a break from his planning.

Enjolras stopped his grading and turned to look at his boyfriend. "Sure, what's going on?"

Grantaire looked at him, shyly. "I was wondering if you wanted to move in here. Like officially. You've been practically living here for months, and you have two drawers full of clothing. Just now make it official."

"Are you serious?" Enjolras asked.

"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't." Grantaire assured. "I want you to move in here, and I know that Casey does, too. So, what do you say?"

"I say hell yes." Enjolras kissed his boyfriend, deeply. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't ask, and I'd have to just slowly move my stuff over here."

"Well, we've only been back together for almost three months, so I wasn't sure if you wanted to move in right away or wait a few more months. Grantaire said.

"Love, we've been practically back together since I found out about Casey, there was just no name on it. But no, I don't want to wait any longer because as you said, I practically live here anyway."

Grantaire smiled. "Good. We'll tell Casey when we go and pick him up."

***

After they picked up Casey from school, they headed to The Palace to have dinner where they got their usual booth. Loretta came to take their order, and when she had rolled away, Enjolras and Grantaire looked at each other, knowing it was time.

"Buddy, we have something that we want to tell you."

"Are you getting married?" Casey asked, excitedly.

His parents chuckled, then Enjolras said. "No, not yet."

"Daddy is going to come live with us." Grantaire revealed.

Casey looked at his parents, confused. "I thought he already was."

Both his parents laugh again as Enjolras reached over to ruffle his son's curls.

***

Over the course of the next few days, Enjolras began to pack his stuff up from his other apartment. Combeferre walked in the door after his shift at the hospital, one day while Enjolras was packing.

"Are you officially moving in with Grantaire and Casey?" Combeferre questioned, walking into the kitchen to make himself some tea.

Enjolras spoke up from where he was packing up his books. "Yeah. I've been meaning to talk to you about it. I know that you asked Éponine to move in with you. You told me that was the big thing you asked her the first night that I watched Casey, but it hasn't happened yet because you haven't been able to find the right place. How about you take this place? Change my name on the lease to hers."

"I guess that could work, if you don't mind?"

"'Ferre, I'm moving in with my son and boyfriend, why would I mind?" Enjolras pointed out.

Combeferre shrugged. "I don't know, but thank you."

"You're welcome."

***

It was another few days before all of Enjolras' stuff was packed up. Combeferre had asked Éponine how she felt about Enjolras' suggestion and she had agreed, eagerly. So, they met with their landlord to change Enjolras' name on the lease to Éponine's. Then, the next day, Enjolras had his friends' help in moving his stuff from his old apartment to Grantaire's. They finished carrying everything in while Grantaire was in their bedroom, making room for Enjolras' clothes with Casey's help.

Enjolras had only packed clothes, books, mementoes, and anything else he thought he would need. His furniture from his bedroom had gone to his parent's storage locker. The living room furniture had been picked out by both him and Combeferre and they had split the payment, so Enjolras had let him keep it.

After helping him carry his things in, some of his friends had left to go help Éponine get her things from her apartment moved in to the new one. Courfeyrac, Jehan, Cosette, Feuilly, and Joly had stayed to help the small family. Grantaire, Jehan, and Joly were in the bedroom and bathroom while everyone else was in the living room and kitchen.

It only took a little less than two hours to put all of Enjolras' belongings in the apartment. When they were done at the family's apartment, the other five left to go help Éponine and Combeferre, asking the small family if they were up to eat with the rest of them.

Enjolras shook his head. "It's been a long day, I think we'll stay in."

"Alright, but you'll miss out on a great time." Courfeyrac sang as he danced his way out of the apartment.

Enjolras rolled his eyes. "Just remember that 'Taire and I are also parents to a six-year old."

"Excuses, excuses." Courfeyrac teased.

"Goodbye, Courf." Enjolras shooed his friend out after Jehan and closed the door.

Enjolras sighed against the door before walking into the living room where Grantaire was sitting with Casey, teaching him more about drawing. Enjolras sat down in one of the chairs across from them.

Grantaire glanced up. "What?"

"Nothing."

Grantaire looked at him, skeptically, before going back to help Casey's with his drawing.

***

That night, after they put Casey to bed, Enjolras and Grantaire sat facing each other on their bed. Enjolras had just finished placing the canvas painting that Grantaire had done for him above the bed.

"Ours." Grantaire said. "I don't know why, but I love the sound of that."

"Me too. Our bed. Our apartment. Our Casey." Enjolras whispered as he nibbled on Grantaire's ear.

Grantaire chuckled, pulling away from his lover. "The only thing that has ever been ours before was your bedroom, and now, we have this."

"Yes, we do. Everything that we do together now, will be ours. And no one can take that away." Enjolras said.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Enjolras kissed him.

They fell back against the bed in a make out session that continued until Grantaire pulled away, pressing pause because it got too heated. They kissed, chastely, again as Enjolras rolled off of him. They crawled under the covers, cuddled up together in order to fall asleep.

***

A few days later was Casey's birthday. Thankfully, his birthday was on a Saturday, allowing them to have the party on the actual day. The morning of his birthday, Enjolras and Grantaire woke up early, so they could make him a special breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and apple juice. Once the breakfast was ready, they walked into Casey's bedroom, who was slowly waking up.

 _"♫Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Casey, happy birthday to you.♫_. They sang. Casey sat up, looking bleary eyes, but still smiling. His parents came to sit next to him.

"Happy birthday, little bug." Grantaire said, hugging his son.

"Happy birthday." Enjolras kissed the top of Casey's head.

"Thank you." Casey hugged both his parents at the same time.

They went into the kitchen, so Casey could have his breakfast, and then he got dressed, so they could head to the Musain.

***

The family arrived early to decorate the upstairs room of the Musain. Enjolras had Casey's help in putting the directions to the upstairs near the front door. It was a sign that said: "Argh!!! Ahoy, mateys! It's this way to the party! I hope you have a swashbuckling time." They finished decorating and waited for guests to start arriving. Casey sat in Enjolras' lap, coloring as they waited.

Finally, the first person arrived which was one of Casey's friends from kindergarten. It was his friend, Mallory with her mother, Blair. When Casey saw her, he jumped off of Enjolras' lap, and went to greet her.

"Hi, Mallory." Casey said, excitedly.

"Hi. Happy birthday, Casey." Mallory gave him a hug.

"Thank you. Do you want to go and play?" Casey asked. Mallory looked up at her mother, who nodded, and then Casey and Mallory went off to play.

Blair turned to Grantaire, who was standing next to the table that held the basket for cards. "I'm not sure if we've met yet, but I'm Blair, Mallory's mother. I'm also the teacher's assistant to Miss Lee. I was hired to be another set of eyes in the classroom after the whole incident with Casey and the two children happened."

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Grantaire, Casey's father." Grantaire introduced himself.

Enjolras appeared next to him. "And I'm also Casey's father."

They saw the wheels turning in Blair's head until she remembered. "Oh, right! Mrs. Lee explained your situation." When she saw the look on Grantaire's face, she quickly explained. "She didn't go into details. All she said was that Casey had two fathers. But hey, no judgement here. I'm a single mother and a lesbian, but got pregnant with Mallory when I was at a very low point when questioning my sexuality, so yeah."

Enjolras and Grantaire, both smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Um…I also wanted to say that Casey is a wonderful boy. Once I started working at the school, I could see that." Blair complimented.

"Thank you." Both of Casey's parents said in unison.

Blair dropped the card in the basket before leaving the parents to sit down to watch her child.

All the rest of Casey's guests soon arrived after that. They placed their cards in the basket, and then went to go wish Casey a happy birthday. Once every one had said their greetings, Enjolras announced that the first game that they would play would be a treasure hunt game. The object of the game was to be the first team to find all the clues that would lead them to the "buried treasure" that Grantaire had hid somewhere in the café. It was Casey's group that had ended up winning that game. Then, they would play a game of pin the peg leg on the pirate. After the games, they would eat and Casey would open his cards. Then, finally, it would be cake and the singing of "Happy Birthday". After cake, the guests said their goodbyes and took their leave, except for Enjolras and Grantaire's friends, Enjolras' parents, Aimee, and Clare. They stayed to help Casey and his parents clean up the room.

***

When they arrived back home, Casey was exhausted from playing as hard as he did. He went into the living room and laid down on the couch. He was asleep within seconds. Enjolras and Grantaire both chuckled. Enjolras went into his son's bedroom to grab the blanket he had given Casey for Christmas to place over his son as he slept.

"It's a good thing that tomorrow is Sunday." Enjolras told Grantaire as he came back into the kitchen as Grantaire was putting the food and cake away. He heard his boyfriend chuckle.

Enjolras went to grab his bag from their bedroom to catch up on his grading. He joined Grantaire at the table. Grantaire was going through Casey's cards to write down how much money was in each in order to start on the thank you cards. They were content to just sit there in silence, doing their own jobs, while their beloved son slept a few feet away from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll see you on Wednesday for 22 and 23!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged. :) No flames, though, please!


	23. Twenty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where I would say that we move in to what could be considered as part two of this story, and I hope you enjoy what is to come.
> 
> Disclaimer: Still not mine, sadly.

_January 27 th, 2013_

Grantaire was sitting in the living room, painting a project for a class. Aimee was playing with Casey on the blanket on the ground. Clara was reading a book on the couch. Casey was standing up with Aimee holding his hands. Aimee stood up, still holding on to Casey's hand. She took a step back as Casey took a step forward, and then another, and another, and another.

Aimee smiled widely before saying, "'Aire, look."

"What?" Grantaire started, but then his eyes fell to Casey, who took another step forward. "Oh, gosh."

Grantaire stood up from his spot on his stool, setting the palette and paintbrush down before walking to Aimee and Casey. He replaced his hands with Aimee's as Casey continued to take steps forward. Clara had pulled out the video camera to hand to Aimee, so she could film the event.

After a couple of minutes of walking around the room with Casey, Grantaire picked him up and kissed his cheek. "You just took your first steps, little bug. I'm so proud."

Casey giggled as Grantaire kissed his cheek again. Grantaire held his son close to him as warmth and pride flooded his heart.

***

**_June 2018_ **

The school year was almost over for both Enjolras and Casey. All Casey could talk about was the fact that he would be a first grader the next year and how anxious he was for the new year to start, even though there was still about three weeks left of the current one. One Friday after school because it was a little warm out, Enjolras and Grantaire had agreed to taking Casey to Serendipity 3 for a bite of ice cream.

But that Sunday afternoon, Casey sat in front of the window, it was cloudy and it looked like it would start raining at any moment. He looked disappointed because he had hoped that his parents would take him to Central Park that day.

"We're sorry, little bug. I had hoped that we could take you to the park." Grantaire placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, Papa."

Grantaire leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. Then, left the living room to go into the kitchen and start getting lunch ready. Enjolras was sitting on the couch before standing up and walking to the cupboard that held the board games. He picked out UNO.

"Hey, buddy, want to play UNO with Daddy?"

Casey turned around, excitedly. Enjolras had already walked to the dining table and took the card game out of the box. Casey stood up and walked to the table to play the board game. Once lunch was ready, Grantaire joined them in their game.

But as they played their game of UNO, a rumble of thunder sounded causing Casey to cry out. Enjolras set his cards down and took Casey into his arms.

"It’s alright, buddy. It’s not going to hurt you. You’re safe in here with Papa and Daddy." Enjolras said, rocking him back and forth. Grantaire had started to pick up the cards to put the game away. As Enjolras continued to settled Casey down from the storm, he noticed Grantaire walk to the cupboard to grab checkers. "Hey, buddy, do you want to help Daddy beat Papa at checkers." Casey pulled away from his father to nod, enthusiastically.

Grantaire got the game board ready, placing the chips in their spots. Then, the family played multiple games, anything to keep Casey distracted from the sounds that could be heard outside. And once it got time for dinner, Grantaire took Casey into the kitchen with him, so that he could help him. Together, the two of them made a delicious dinner of cheeseburgers that were stuffed with cheese, roasted potatoes, and steamed mixed vegetables. Once the family had eaten and the kitchen was cleaned, they sat on the couch for a family movie night, continuing to do whatever they could to keep Casey distracted from the storm outside.

***

Later that night, after the storm had stopped and Casey was sound asleep in his bed, Enjolras and Grantaire sat on their bed. Enjolras was reading a book, while Grantaire was silently sketching next to him. But Enjolras hadn't turned the page in over 10 minutes because he couldn't concentrate because his mind kept going back to one thing. Something that he had been meaning to talk to Grantaire about for days. He decided then to bring it up.

"Um, love, can I talk to you about something?" Enjolras asked, marking his page and placing the book on the bedside table.

Grantaire finished sketching, turning to face his boyfriend. "Um…sure."

"What would you think about possibly having another baby?"

Grantaire froze at the question. "What?"

"What would you think about possibly having another baby?" Enjolras asked again.

Grantaire looked at his boyfriend. "Are you serious?"

"Very much so." Enjolras told him.

"This isn't just some way to replace the five years you missed out on with Casey, is it?" Grantaire asked despite knowing that it wasn't.

Enjolras looked at him with a look of disbelief. "What, no! Absolutely not! Why would you even think that?"

"Because this is coming out of nowhere." Grantaire exclaimed.

Enjolras sighed. "I've been thinking about it for the last few weeks actually, and it has nothing, _nothing_ to do with Casey. It's just…we had always talked about wanting at least two children. And I know this is fast. We’ve only been back together for about seven months and I’ve only about Casey’s existence for about ten, but Casey is already six years old. I don’t want there to be a giant age gap between our children where Casey is 15 when his little brother or sister is only two. Like I said, I know that it’s happening fast, but do you see where I’m coming from?"

"Of course, I do." Grantaire looked away from Enjolras as he played with a piece of loose string on the duvet. "And I get what you’re saying, it's just that…"

"Just what?" Enjolras asked.

It was now Grantaire's turn to sigh. "I don't even know if I'd be able to get pregnant. I've been on T for four years now, and my period stopped within six months of starting. Not to mention that it's a lot to think about."

"I know. But can you are least promise me that you will think about it? That's all I want you to do right now, okay? If you say no, I won’t bring it up again." Enjolras reached for his lover's hand and pressed a kiss to it.

"I promise."

Enjolras kissed his forehead. "I love you."

Enjolras turned away from him to turn off his lights and crawl under the covers. Grantaire watched his boyfriend as he started to fall asleep, not knowing what to say or think.

 _Another baby?_ The thought seemed surreal to him. It wasn't that he didn't want another baby because he did. It was that he didn't know if he could. But he promised Enjolras that he'd think about it, and he would stand by that promise.

***

Over the course of the next few days, Grantaire thought about what life would be like if they did have another baby. How would their lives change? How would Casey react to not being the center of his fathers' attention? What about his job? Would he be able to have some time off after the baby was born? And the one that was ever present in his mind. What if his parents returned to New York City? Would they still try to take Casey and the new baby away from them?"

There was so much to consider, but Grantaire still couldn't deny that he did want another baby. He still felt guilty for making Enjolras miss the first five years of Casey's life. He would always feel guilty about that, but maybe, just maybe having another baby would lessen some of that guilt. But Grantaire refused to tell Enjolras that.

He stood in the dining room, getting the table set for dinner, while Enjolras played with Casey. As he watched them, Grantaire couldn't help imagining the sight of Enjolras helping Casey with his homework, holding a baby in his arms.

Grantaire smiled knowing that his mind was made up. They would try for another baby, and just like everything else that he feared, he knew that they would go through it together.

***

Later that night, Grantaire was sitting under the covers of the bed. Enjolras was finishing up his nightly bathroom routine. Casey had been asleep for over two hours already, and he was still sound asleep when they had gone to check on him before they had headed into their bedroom.

Enjolras left the bathroom and got into the bed. Both of them were too tired to do anything, but sleep that night. So once Enjolras was settled, Grantaire cuddled into his chest. Grantaire pressed a kiss to Enjolras' neck causing Enjolras to smile.

"So, did you think about it?" Enjolras ran his fingers down Grantaire's arm.

Grantaire nodded against his boyfriend's chest. "Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"Let's do it. Let's have another baby." Enjolras smiled and kissed the top of Grantaire's head. "But first, we have to meet with the doctor handling my transition as well as the family doctor."

"Okay." Enjolras couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he pressed another kiss to the top of Grantaire's head.


	24. Twenty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Nope!

_February 17 th, 2013_

It was Casey's 1st birthday, and Grantaire couldn't believe that his little boy was already a year old. Grantaire was in the kitchen, working on homework. Clara was in there too, making Casey's birthday cake. Grantaire had questioned the need for the cake since Casey wasn't old enough to understand the concept of a birthday and would more than likely just stick in his hands in the cake, but she had insisted. Casey was currently down for his afternoon nap. Aimee had gone grocery shopping, but she should be back soon.

"Did you think about what Aimee said? About going to New York?" Clara asked.

Grantaire froze, set down his pencil, and looked up at his grandmother. "No, I didn't."

"'Aire, you can't keep Casey from Enjolras forever." Clara replied.

"I don't plan too, but I'm incredibly busy with school and my work for the gallery, right now. Where school will slow down eventually, I don't foresee the gallery slowing down any time soon. I already asked my boss for time off, but he refused since we're short staffed."

Clara sighed. "At this rate, with your work, Casey will be 21 by the time Enjolras meets him."

Grantaire looked at his grandmother in disbelief. "I know, but Grandma, what am I supposed to do?"

"You could have told him. Your parent's threat be damned." Clara said. "You know that he would have left with you if that was something that you had wanted."

"I know that." Grantaire sighed. "But then, I would have taken him away from the plan that he had for life. Columbia was his dream. I wasn't going to take that from him."

"No, 'Aire, **_you_** were his dream. Not Columbia. If it had been Columbia, he wouldn't have dropped out."

"I know. I get what you're saying, I do, but can you please stop with the guilt trip? I already feel guilty enough, there is no need to add more."

"Alright, fine." Clara turned back to frosting Casey's birthday cake.

Just then, Grantaire looked down at the monitor to see that Casey was awake. Grantaire stood up from the kitchen table to go and get his son. He walked into Casey's bedroom and walked to the crib to pick up Casey.

"Hello, little bug. How was your nap?" Grantaire asked.

Casey still couldn't talk all that much, so he simply looked at Grantaire. Grantaire kissed his forehead before walking out of the room and back to the kitchen to give Casey a small snack of applesauce.

***

Later that evening, after dinner, Clara brought out Casey's birthday cake. Casey sat on Grantaire's lap as they sang happy birthday to him. Grantaire blew out the birthday candle, so Clara could cut the cake.

"Happy birthday, little bug. I love you." Grantaire said, kissing his son's curls.

***

**_June 2018_ **

Two days after agreeing to try and have another baby, Grantaire had called up Dr. Whitehouse and Dr. Jones (the doctor handling his transition) to see if there was a time that all of them could meet up. The two doctors agreed to meet up on Monday, June 18th, at 2:30. Grantaire had asked for the day off and Enjolras made sure that he'd be able to get off work at 1.

Clara and Aimee had agreed to watch Casey for the time that they were at the appointment. Grantaire and Enjolras had decided to not tell Casey about the possibility of him having a baby brother or sister until after it was known if Grantaire would be able to have another baby.

As they laid in bed together the morning of the apartment, Enjolras could tell that Grantaire was nervous about meeting with the doctors.

"Love, it's going to be okay." Enjolras kissed his temple.

Grantaire forced a smile before he got up and went to make sure that Casey was up. When he opened the door, he discovered that Casey was still asleep. Grantaire walked in and gently shook Casey awake.

"Little bug, it's time to get up."

Casey slowly blinked his eyes open. He looked at Grantaire and yawned. Casey sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Grantaire helped him out of the bed, then they walked down to the kitchen where Enjolras was already getting the coffee machine ready.

Casey went to his chair. Grantaire asked. "What do you want for breakfast, little bug?"

"Lucky Charms." Casey said as he sat down.

Grantaire got the cereal from the cupboard and poured a bowl for Casey. He placed it in front of him with a glass of apple juice. He then turned to get his and Enjolras' breakfast ready which was only going to be cereal too. Enjolras sat down after Grantaire handed him his bowl.

"Remember that Clara will be picking you up from school today since Papa and Daddy have an appointment." Enjolras reminded.

"Yes, Daddy."

After they ate their breakfast, Enjolras helped Casey get ready to head to school, then they left the apartment.

***

At around 2:15, the couple walked into the doctor's office, their hands linked together. The only word Grantaire had said the entire time was hello with a kiss after Enjolras picked him up. They checked in with the secretary and filled out the papers. As they waited to be called back, Enjolras squeezed Grantaire's hand.

"As I said this morning, it's going to be alright, love." Enjolras pressed another kiss to his lover's temple.

Dr. Jones came out to get them before leading them back to his office, Dr. Whitehouse was already there. Grantaire quickly made the introduction of Enjolras to both the doctors before they all sat down to discuss the chance of Grantaire becoming pregnant.

They discussed it for over an hour with them deciding that Grantaire would have to stop his injections and wait to see if his period came back. Dr. Jones advised for them to wait at least six months before they started trying.

On the way to Aimee and Clara's to pick up Casey, Enjolras turned to Grantaire.

"Do you want to tell me what's been bothering you for most of the day?" Enjolras asked.

"Nothing." Grantaire kept his eyes on the road.

Enjolras sighed. "That's not true. I know that it's something. You've avoided looking at me most of the day, so come on, what's wrong?"

"I don't know how I feel about this." Grantaire said. Enjolras looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. Grantaire found a parking spot and pulled over. Once the car was in park, Grantaire turned to Enjolras. "The only thing that I'm sure of right now is that I want another baby with you. I want Casey to have a little brother or sister. I just…when I think of everything else related to it, I just feel…nervous. I guess, is the proper word for it. And I don't know why."

"Do you have to know why right now?" Enjolras asked. "I mean, we won't even be truly trying until…what November, maybe even December, so that gives you enough time to fully figure out how you feel about this, okay?"

"Okay." Grantaire with a small smile. He reached for Enjolras' hand and kissed the back of it. "I love you."

"I know." Enjolras said.

They arrived to pick up Casey, but when they walked into the apartment, it was to the discovery that Aimee was in the bathroom with Casey after he came down sick.

"He had complained of a stomach ache when we picked him up. When we got home, I made him soup, but he couldn't keep it down."

Grantaire walked to the bathroom, Enjolras following close behind. When they entered, Aimee was standing next to Casey as he cleaned his mouth out. Once Casey saw Grantaire, he ran to him.

"Papa!" He cried.

Grantaire took Casey into his arms and lifted him up. His son's arms went around his neck and his legs around his waist. "It's alright, little bug."

Enjolras ran his hand down his son's back. "We're heading home, buddy."

"Okay, Daddy." Casey said, looking at Enjolras over Grantaire's shoulder.

Grantaire left the bathroom, followed by Enjolras and Aimee. He let Casey say goodbye to his grandma and aunt. He placed Casey's sweatshirt over him while Enjolras grabbed his backpack. Clara also gave Enjolras a bucket, just in case Casey felt nauseous in the car.

Once they arrived at the car, Grantaire handed the car keys to Enjolras. "I'll sit in the back with him." He opened the car door and set Casey in his seat and buckled him up. Grantaire climbed in next to him.

They made it back to their apartment, Casey thankfully hadn't vomited on the way home. Grantaire carried him into the living room while Enjolras went in to get the blanket that he had given Casey for Christmas, his pillow, and Bear from his bedroom. He brought them back to Grantaire as he tucked Casey in. After making sure Casey was comfortable, Grantaire sat down next to him.

"Feeling any better, little bug?" Grantaire ran his fingers through Casey's curls. Casey shook his head. As Grantaire had carried Casey, he had felt how warm his son was. "Okay. I'm going to go get the thermometer. Daddy will be right here. I'll be right back." He kissed Casey's forehead, then stood up to get the thermometer.

Enjolras took Grantaire's spot next to Casey. He started to run his fingers through Casey's curls.

"Can I stay with you and Papa tonight, Daddy?" Casey asked in a small voice.

Enjolras smiled at his son. Grantaire had told him that he allowed Casey to sleep with him when he was sick, he had a bad dream, or if it was storming. He understood, of course, because he would have done the same. "Of course, buddy."

Casey smiled a little, but then started to gag and heave. Enjolras grabbed the bucket to bring it up to Casey, just in time for him to vomit into it. Grantaire came back just as Casey was finishing. He went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He came back in and handed it to Casey. His son swished his mouth before spitting it in the bucket. Enjolras switched seats with Grantaire to go and wash out the bucket.

"Open your mouth, little bug." He placed the thermometer under his son's tongue and waited. After waiting the time needed, Grantaire plucked the thermometer from his mouth to read what it said. "100.2°. Alright, little bug. Lay down and try to sleep. Papa and Daddy are not going very far."

Casey snuggled under the blanket to try and sleep. Enjolras came back from the bathroom and set the bucket down next to the couch. Then, he followed Grantaire into the kitchen. Grantaire found the recipe for his grandmother's chicken noodle soup and started getting the ingredients down.

"How high is the fever?" Enjolras asked.

"100.2°." Grantaire replied. "I know that they tried soup back at Clara's, but I'm going to try again to see if it will settle his stomach a little."

Enjolras nodded. "He asked if he could sleep with us tonight."

"What did you say?"

"I said yes, of course."

Grantaire smiled, then kiss his boyfriend. "I love you."

Enjolras didn't say anything. He just smiled, then left the kitchen to go and sit with Casey while Grantaire made the soup.

***

After the soup was made, Grantaire waited until Casey woke up himself, then he gave Casey some soup and saltine crackers to eat. Casey finished the soup and laid back down. Enjolras also checked his son's temperature after that.

"How are you feeling now, buddy?"

Casey shrugged. "I don't know, Daddy."

Enjolras ran his fingers through his curls. "It'll be alright."

Casey started crying and Enjolras took him into his arms, rocking him back and forth. Grantaire came into the living room and saw the display in front of him. He always hated seeing their son get sick. Grantaire walked to the couch to sit next to his family, and started to rub Casey's back.

It was going to be a very long night.

***

They laid in bed, a sleeping Casey in between them. Their son's fever had gone down and his stomach had settled. Grantaire had his arms wrapped around their son's small body since Casey had cuddled into him. Enjolras was rubbing his hand down Casey's back.

"Does he still feel warm to you?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire shook his head. "Not as warm as he was. When we picked him up, he was burning. I think having him eat ice cubes helped." Enjolras still looked worried. "Love, he's going to be fine. I'll keep him home tomorrow just to make sure."

"I know, but I still hate seeing him sick." Enjolras leaned over to press a kiss to Casey's curls.

Grantaire moved his hand to give Enjolras' hand a comforting squeeze. He looked over at his boyfriend, but didn't say anything. Instead, he closed his eyes to try and sleep. Enjolras followed soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come back on Friday for 24 and 25!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	25. Twenty-Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own.

_June 29 th, 2013_

Grantaire was home, trying to work on a commission he had received, but it was growing increasingly difficult because now Casey was beginning to walk on his own and he was curious about everything. It was at the point that they had to watch him constantly to make sure that he didn't get into anything dangerous. Clara and Aimee would be home later in the day, so it was just Grantaire and Casey home. Thankfully, the baby gate was up keeping Casey in the living room with Grantaire, but there was still plenty of things for him to get into.

Grantaire was focused on the painting when he felt pulling on his pant leg. He looked down at his son.

"Num-num. Num-num." Casey said. His way of saying "snack".

Grantaire looked at his phone and saw that it was time for Casey to have a snack. He set down his palette and brush, high enough so Casey couldn't get it before picking up his son and carrying him into the kitchen. He set Casey in his high chair.

"What will it be, little bug?"

"Sauce." Casey said.

"Applesauce?" Grantaire asked, just to make sure that was what Casey wanted. Casey nodded and clapped his hands excitedly.

Grantaire got his son a bowl of strawberry applesauce, placing it in front of him, along with a sippy cup of water. He then got a bowl of applesauce for himself.

"Papa." Casey said, pointing at Grantaire as he ate his applesauce.

Grantaire smiled. "That's right, little bug. I'm Papa."

Casey clapped his hands again. "Daddy?"

Grantaire frowned and his heart twisted painfully. "No, little bug. Daddy isn't here."

Casey looked at Grantaire and his bottom lip started quivering.

This had become a recurring thing. Casey would point to Grantaire and say "Papa" before asking after Enjolras. And when Grantaire told him that Daddy wasn't there, he would start crying. Not being able to stand seeing his son in tears, Grantaire stood up and picked his son. He cuddled his son.

"It's alright, little bug. Daddy loves you despite not being able to be here." Grantaire calmed him down. "It's alright."

After a few minutes, Casey settled down. He looked at his papa with his big blue eyes before leaning over and kissing his papa on the cheek.

"I love you, Casey." Grantaire said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and hugged him tightly.

***

**_August 2018_ **

The rest of the summer went quickly after Casey got sick. For the first week of July, Isabelle and Gabriel had invited them to the Enjolras lake cabin in upstate New York which they had accepted the invite, allowing them to get out of the city for a few days. It also gave Casey a chance to spend time with his grandparents and put the swimming lessons that he had taken last summer and over the course of the spring to good use.

Two weeks after their week at the lake, Grantaire had another gallery event that he invited Enjolras to. His boss had also surprisingly allowed Casey to attend as well. Casey had done well by staying at their side. Casey had even convinced a few people to put the money down for a painting or two. Enjolras kept jokingly saying to Grantaire all night that Casey would be a good negotiator when he grew up before Grantaire looked at him pointedly to say that Casey had already declared that he was going to be an artist like his papa. Enjolras had in turn said that things could change. Grantaire had affectionately rolled his eyes at his boyfriend.

But all of that still didn't take Grantaire's mind off of what had been at the center of it for the last two months.

Would they be able to conceive a child?

Grantaire tried not to think about it, but it was difficult not to. There was also the fact that it wasn't Enjolras' reaction that he was worried about if they couldn't conceive. It was his own. And because of that, he had been putting off dealing with how he fully felt about the prospect of having another baby. As he had already told Enjolras, a hundred times over. He wanted another baby. He wanted them to have another son or even a daughter. He wanted Casey to have a baby brother or sister. But wanting it and having it were two totally different things. Especially since his period had still yet to come back.

He tried to avoid thinking about it, but it was difficult because there were only two days left of August.

Enjolras could tell that Grantaire was terrified, but he didn't know what to say to take away those fears, especially since anytime that Enjolras brought it up, Grantaire would change the subject.

But the next morning, when Grantaire got up to go the bathroom, he discovered that there was blood on his boxers. His smile was small as he finished his business in the bathroom. He walked out of the bathroom, walked to the dresser to grab another pair of boxers causing Enjolras to raise an eyebrow at him as he got out of the bed.

Enjolras walked into the bathroom, just as Grantaire was taking a tampon out of the box.

"You got it." Enjolras said, startling his boyfriend. "Sorry."

Grantaire looked at his boyfriend. "Yeah, I did. This morning." Enjolras pulled his boyfriend in for a hug. "Don't get too excited. Do I need to remind you of the terror that I was every time I had it?"

Enjolras chuckled. "I know, but it never bothered me. I always loved taking care of you when you had it."

Grantaire's eyes gleamed with affection as he said, "Alright, well, can I?" He held up the boxers and tampon, gesturing for Enjolras to leave. Enjolras headed toward the door. "Do you want to see if Casey's awake, and if he is, get breakfast started? I'm going to take a shower."

"Yeah. What do you want me to tell him if he asks where you are?" Enjolras asked him.

"Just say that Papa isn't feeling the best, but that I'll be fine in a little while." Grantaire said. Enjolras nodded and left the bathroom.

Enjolras walked into Casey's room, only to see the bright blue eyes of his son staring back at him. Clearly, he had just woken up.

"It is time for breakfast, Daddy?" Casey got out of the bed with Bear under his arm. "Where's Papa?"

"Papa will be out soon. He wasn't feeling the best, but he'll be alright." Enjolras explained to the little boy as they walked into the kitchen. He could hear the water running from his boyfriend's shower. "What would you like for breakfast, buddy?"

"Umm…French toast?"

"I think I could handle that."

He was just finishing up his cooking when Grantaire came out of their bedroom. From where he was standing, Enjolras could see that his curls were still wet from the shower. Grantaire walked behind him and kissed his cheek.

"How do you feel?" Enjolras asked.

"I'm alright." Grantaire said, then turned his attention to Casey, who was stuffing his face with his third piece of French toast. He pressed a kiss to his son's forehead. "Slow down, little bug, or you'll get sick."

Casey didn't say anything, instead he stopped eating the French toast and went for the bacon instead. Grantaire shook his head, affectionately, sitting down next to Casey to eat his own breakfast.

After they were done eating, Grantaire turned to Casey. "What do you want to do today, little bug?"

Casey shrugged. "Are you feeling better, Papa? Daddy said you weren't well."

"I sure am, little bug." Grantaire said. "But today isn't about me. It's about you."

In about another week and a half, the school year would start up again with Casey now being in first grade. So, as the summer days started to dwindle, the family spent as much time together as they could.

"Can we go swimming?" Casey looked at his fathers.

Grantaire looked at Enjolras, who nodded. "Sure. We can do that."

***

Swimming is what the family did that day. They invited their friends to join them, and they enjoyed their time at the swimming pool in the apartment building. Enjolras swam to the edge of the pool where Grantaire was dangling his feet. He hadn't felt like swimming, so he decided to just dangle his feet. Casey was playing a game of water basketball with the help of Courfeyrac, Bahorel, Éponine, and Bossuet.

"So, now we just have to wait a few more months?" Enjolras asked.

"Yep." Grantaire said, popping the "p".

"How are the cramps?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire cracked a smile. "Barely there."

"Good." Enjolras pushed himself out of the water a little bit more in order to kiss Grantaire.

***

In November, they received the official go ahead to start trying for a baby. They started trying almost right away, making sure that Casey was never in the apartment when they had sex. However, in the months from December to February, every pregnancy test came back negative. Enjolras could see that every time a test came back with the little negative sign, Grantaire's heart broke a little more.

Until one morning in March, when Grantaire decided that it was time to take the March pregnancy test. It was in the early morning, but he had to use the bathroom. Grantaire got up and went into the bathroom. He grabbed the pregnancy test box from the cupboard. They had agreed to take them together, but Grantaire needed to know. He opened it up and did what he need to before waiting the five minutes for the test to give its result.

When the negative sign came, Grantaire felt his heart twist in disappointment. He went back into the bedroom with the test, hiding it under his pillow before climbing in the bed to try and sleep. But sleep didn't come, tears did, instead.

Enjolras was woken up by the sound of sniffles and crying. He turned over to be facing his boyfriend, after realizing where the sound was coming from. He wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist. "Love, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Grantaire wiped a tear away.

"It can't be nothing."

Grantaire reached behind his pillow and pulled out the test. He handed it to Enjolras. Enjolras sighed after looking at the test before setting it down. He pulled Grantaire closer to him, who had turned to face him. Grantaire gripped him tightly as he cried.

Enjolras waited a few minutes before he said it. "Alright, that's it. I know that we've only been trying for a few months, but we have to stop."

"What, no?" Grantaire pulled out of his arms.

"Grantaire, it's for the best. I want another baby, I do, but I can't stand watching your heart break with every test that is negative. If we only ever just have Casey, I'll be content with that." Enjolras said.

"But I won't." Grantaire grabbed the pregnancy test, then got out of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

Enjolras sighed before following his boyfriend. Grantaire was sitting on the bathtub, Enjolras kneeled down in front of him.

"Love, what is going on? You keep telling me that you do want a baby, but there is something else that you're not telling me." Enjolras reached for Grantaire's hands. Grantaire looked at him, but didn't say anything. "You can tell me anything, 'Taire, you know that."

Grantaire felt the tears start again causing Enjolras to pull him into his arms. "It's the five years that you missed out on with Casey. I took those years from you and you'll never get them back."

"Love…" Enjolras started.

"You should have been able to experience them in real life, not through home videos or a scrapbook." Grantaire locked eyes with Enjolras. "I took them from you and no matter what you say, I will always live with that guilt. And I don't know how to make it go away."

Enjolras cupped his face. "Love, you have to find a way to make peace with what you did. You did it to ensure that we would be able to raise our child, and that takes guts. And quite frankly, if the roles had been reversed, I would have done the exact same thing."

Grantaire looked at him. "But the reason why still doesn't make it okay." Enjolras looked at him with sadness in his eyes. "Which is part of the reason why I want another baby. Maybe it would lessen some of the guilt. Don't get me wrong I want another baby for many reasons that just that, but it is part of it."

"Which I understand, but love, the look of absolute heartbreak on your face every time one of these little sticks," Enjolras held up the test that Grantaire had placed on the side of the bathtub. "Is negative, it kills me. If we keep trying and they keep being negative, I'm worried for the affect that it will have on you."

Grantaire wiped his face clean of the tears. "I know. I just want another baby so bad."

"I know. I do, too, but…" Enjolras was then struck with an idea. "Come with me."

Enjolras stood up and held out his hands. Grantaire took them. They walked out of their bedroom and down the hall to Casey's bedroom. Enjolras opened the door all the way. Casey was asleep in his bed. His head resting on his hands. Bear tucked in between his arms.

"Look." Grantaire glanced at the sleeping boy. "No matter how much both us want another baby, let's not forget about the perfect little human that we made already. If Casey is the only child that we are ever able to have, I'm perfectly content with that. My life is complete with you and Casey." Enjolras pulled him into his arms and kissed his forehead. "If we are able to have another baby, that's great. But it's not going to come at the cost of me losing you."

Grantaire glanced at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Enjolras kissed Grantaire, deeply.

They left the doorway of Casey's bedroom, closing the door again, and walked back to their own room. They laid down, Grantaire's head on Enjolras' chest. He thought about something before saying it to his lover.

"Two more months."

"What?"

"Let's try for two more months, and if nothing comes from it, we'll stop."

Enjolras sighed. "'Taire…"

"Please." Grantaire pleaded. "Just two. That's all I ask."

Enjolras smiled before agreeing. "Alright. We'll try for two more months."

Grantaire leaned up to kiss Enjolras' jaw before cuddling back down to try and get more sleep before their alarms went off to start the day.


	26. Twenty-Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own.

_November 17 th, 2013_

Casey was exactly 21 months old. He was now growing steadier as he walked on his own now. Most of the time when he walked, his baby blanket was being dragged behind him. He was talking, too. His vocabulary was very limited, but he was talking. Casey was also at the stage where he thought it was funny to test the patience of Grantaire, Aimee, and Clara. He, thankfully, also didn’t have many temper tantrums when it came to wanting things. Grantaire had expected him to have plenty considering his daddy's tendency to lose his temper, but he didn’t. Yes, there were bad days, but it was mostly good days. Clara had said many times already that Casey was every parents' dream child.

But that night, Grantaire knew that Casey wasn't feeling the greatest. He was screaming his head off and would only calm down when it was Grantaire that was comforting him. Clara had taken his temperature and he had a fever of 100°. It wasn't overly high, but it was high enough to make Grantaire worry. He was constantly having Casey drink ice cold water to try and get the fever down. He had also given Casey a lukewarm bath.

Finally, when it came time to put Casey down for the night, his fever had broken, but he still wanted Grantaire in his line of sight at all times, so Grantaire had decided to allow Casey to lay down next to him until he fell asleep.

Casey was lying next to Grantaire, his father's arms wrapped around him. Casey's eyes fell on the shiny object around his father's neck and he couldn't help himself. He lifted his small hand to touch it. Grantaire looked down at his son, but was taken by surprise when Casey tried to yank the locket from his neck.

"Little bug, no pulling." Grantaire objected. Casey had tears in his eyes when he looked up at his father. "It's just that this is very special to Papa."

Grantaire reached behind his neck to undo the clasp. He took if off and showed it to Casey.

"Your daddy gave me this for my 17th birthday. It says "Amor Vincit Omnia" which means "Love Conquers All" in Latin. Then, on the back, it says "'Happy birthday, my love. Forever yours, Enjolras.'" Grantaire said. Then, he opened it. He showed Casey the picture on the inside of him and Enjolras, and then the one that was Casey when he was a baby. "Can you believe that used to be you, little bug?"

Casey shook his head as he smiled.

"Yeah, that was you." Grantaire pressed a kiss to his son's forehead. "You and Daddy are the two single most important people in my life. There are no two people in the world that I love more."

"I love you, Papa." Casey said.

"I love you, too." Grantaire replied.

Grantaire placed the locket back around his neck. Casey cuddled more into Grantaire before he started singing the lullaby to put Casey to sleep.

***

**_April 2019_ **

In the few days since they had agreed to try for two more months, Enjolras and Casey had come home on a Sunday with a cardboard box that contained a kitten inside of it after finding it abandoned in an alley. Grantaire had been reluctant to allow them to keep the kitten despite knowing how badly Enjolras had always wanted one. But what had caused him to give in was Casey looking up at him with a puppy dog face that rivaled the one that was plastered on Enjolras'. And that was the story of how they had acquired a black kitten with white paws that Casey named Oreo.

But also within those few days since their conversation, they hadn't been able to try again. But now, Grantaire had an idea since they had a free weekend coming. He had already talked to Clara about them taking Casey for the weekend. He just needed to convince Enjolras that it was a good idea.

After Casey had gone to bed, they went into their bedroom, like they usually did. Enjolras was doing his usual nighttime bathroom routine while Grantaire got his pajamas on, then they switched places. But after they laid on the bed with Grantaire's head resting on Enjolras' chest.

"Babe, I have an idea." Grantaire said.

"Hmmm, what's up?" Enjolras, who had been partially asleep, asked.

Grantaire looked up at Enjolras. "What if we sneak away to the Hamptons this weekend?"

"What? Why?"

"Because I was thinking that maybe that could be our good luck spot." Grantaire said, but he could tell from Enjolras' silence that he was confused. He sat up with Enjolras following him. "We conceived Casey the night we escaped up there after graduation, so I just thought maybe try our luck at conceiving another there, too. It's just we've tried here, over and over again, but nothing has come of it. Maybe if we try there, something will."

"While we can try it, but what about Casey? We can't bring him with us." Enjolras pointed out.

"I already asked Clara if they could take him, and she agreed." Grantaire told him. "Please, Enjolras."

"Alright, love. We'll go the Hamptons."

***

The weekend then came fast. When they dropped Casey off at Clara's, he put up little fight. He had been putting up fights every time they had left him with anyone that wasn't his parents. They understood his refusal, but they had explained to him that sometimes his parents needed time to just be with each other. He reluctantly stopped fighting them after that.

After they dropped Casey off, they headed toward the Hamptons. Neither had been up there since the night of graduation. Enjolras' parents had sent the cleaning crew up to clean it and stock it with food to make sure that it was ready for them. Everyone that important to them, apart from Casey, all knew what it was they were trying to do, which was why they agreed to take Casey anytime when it was needed.

Enjolras pulled up in front of the house, taking a glance at Grantaire, who was staring at the house. He reached for his boyfriend's hand. "Are you sure about this?"

Grantaire pulled his gaze from the house and looked at Enjolras. "Yes, I am."

"Okay." Enjolras placed a kiss on the back of Grantaire's hand before undoing his seatbelt and getting out of the car.

Enjolras grabbed their bag (they had packed together since the duffle bag Grantaire had was big enough) before grabbing Grantaire's hand. They walked up the front porch steps, Enjolras got the keys out and opened the house. When the house was opened, Grantaire took a step forward, but Enjolras held him back.

"What?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras set their bag inside before he placed an arm behind Grantaire's back and under his knees and lifted him up. Grantaire laughed as he placed his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

"Is this really necessary?" Grantaire asked as they walked through the threshold.

Enjolras glanced at him, but didn't say anything. He used his foot to close the door and walked further into the house before setting Grantaire down. Grantaire turned to face Enjolras, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"Does this bring back any memories?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire flushed before nodding. He leaned up to kiss Enjolras. The kiss turned passionate quickly, but when Enjolras felt Grantaire go for his t-shirt. He pulled away.

"Not yet, love. I want to, but let's not recreate everything that lead to Casey's creation."

Grantaire didn’t say anything instead he just smiled before kissing Enjolras again. He pulled away before walking to where Enjolras had set their bag down. He grabbed it and took Enjolras' hand to walk up the stairs to the master bedroom.

They dropped the bag off, then went into the kitchen and Grantaire looked around to see what he could use to make dinner. Grantaire had no idea what he was going to cook because it had been stocked with all different kinds of food. _Had they thought they'd be living here for more than a weekend?_ Grantaire had thought after looking around.

Grantaire eventually found the supplies for chicken Marsala and decided that would be the best option. Grantaire got busy making dinner. He told Enjolras to stay out of the kitchen while he handled dinner. But while he browned the chicken, Grantaire felt arms wrap around his waist with lips caressing the back of his neck.

"Do you have any idea how much I fucking love you?" Enjolras whispered in his ear.

Grantaire smiled as he felt Enjolras' hands find their way under his shirt. "I have an idea, but if you want to eat, you need to get out of here and stop doing that. Or else we'll be having sex on the kitchen floor, and I really don't want that."

"But I want you." Enjolras whined.

Grantaire scoffed, but he could feel that Enjolras wasn't joking. "You could be having me right now, but you were the one who pressed pause, so now you have to wait until after dinner."

Enjolras pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Fine."

Grantaire turned his head to see Enjolras sit down at the island with a pout on his face. He couldn't help, but chuckle.

After an hour and a half of waiting, Enjolras finally got his wish of taking Grantaire to bed.

***

Afterward, they rested on the bed, sweat drying on their bodies.

"So, was it worth the wait, my darling?" Grantaire ran his fingers, seductively, over Enjolras' chest.

Enjolras was all, but purring, as his fingers continued to work their way over his chest. He looked over at Grantaire to press a kiss to his lips. He stopped Grantaire's fingers when his expression changed from turned on to serious. "Do you think this will work?"

"I guess, we will find out." Grantaire said.

Enjolras rolled back over his boyfriend. "Well, we have an entire weekend at our disposal, so we best make the most of it."

He leaned down to kiss Grantaire before he started to work his magic on his lover's body again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Monday!
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged! :) No flames, though, please.


	27. Twenty-Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own.

_January 27 th, 2014_

At breakfast that morning, Grantaire allowed Casey to have a small lick of peanut butter from a spoon. But of course, Grantaire should have figured that Casey would inherit Enjolras' peanut allergy because within seconds of licking the spoon, Casey was coughing. Grantaire was at his side with water, but it didn't do anything. Thankfully, Clara had been a nurse, so she did what she could while Aimee called 911.

Within 10 minutes of the phone call, the paramedics were coming into the house. They placed the still-coughing Casey on the stretcher. Grantaire grabbed his jacket to place over Casey, following the paramedics out to the ambulance. One of the paramedics stopped him.

"I'm his father." Grantaire told the woman, frantically. After that, the woman allowed him into the ambulance.

They eventually made it to the hospital where the doctor and nurses wheeled Casey down the hall. Grantaire almost chased after, but Clara and Aimee stopped him. Clara led him to the waiting room, but Grantaire wouldn't sit still.

"I should have realized. I should have known." Grantaire sobbed.

"Sweetheart, not all allergies are passed down. There was a chance that he wouldn't get it." Clara comforted. "He's going to be just fine."

Grantaire fell into the comfort of his grandmother as he cried into her shoulder.

***

It was about an hour before Dr. Whitehouse came into the waiting room. He walked straight to Grantaire. Grantaire stood up when he saw the doctor.

"How is he?" Grantaire said, wringing his hands.

"Casey is going to be just fine. We gave him epinephrine, but he is going to be just fine. However, we are going to keep him overnight for observation, just to be safe." Dr. Whitehouse replied. "Also, may I ask if there is anybody related to him that has a peanut allergy?"

"Yeah, Enjolras. I just forgot that there was a chance that it would be passed down to Casey."

"Okay, I fully understand, but I will tell you that Casey does have a peanut allergy. That being said, I'm going to give him a prescription for an EpiPen, so make sure that he has it at all times when out and about, but it can stay in a medicine cabinet when at home." Dr. Whitehouse wrote the prescription out on his pad. "He's asleep, but you can go and see him."

Dr. Whitehouse pointed Grantaire in the direction of his son's room. Grantaire went into the hospital room and took the seat next to Casey. Casey woke up and saw his papa. He asked Grantaire if he could lay down next to him, who agreed. Casey cuddled into Grantaire, then his son fell asleep again. Grantaire couldn't really sleep in hospitals, so he just stayed awake as nurses kept coming in and out all night.

***

**_May 2019_ **

In the three weeks since their escape up to the Hamptons, Grantaire was starting to get a little hopeful because his May period still hadn't come. He didn't want to get his hopes up too much, but he was almost confident that going to the Hamptons worked. He decided that he would wait two more days before he took the pregnancy test.

Grantaire left the bathroom and smiled when he walked into the living room. Casey was playing with his train set. Enjolras was putting grades into his computer, with Oreo sitting next to him, begging to be pet.

By ownership, Oreo was Enjolras', but the cat also had a deep affection for Casey, as well. Of the household, Grantaire was Oreo's least favorite person, but if he was the only one home, Oreo would come and lay next to him.

Enjolras looked up from his computer and smiled at his boyfriend. Grantaire came and sat down next to him, Enjolras wrapped an arm around him.

"Hey, you alright?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire didn't say anything only simply leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Good." Enjolras said before turning back to his grading.

Casey then got his fathers' attention. "Papa, can we have Chinese tonight?"

"Yes, Casey, we can absolutely do that tonight."

***

When they put Casey to bed that night, he asked if Oreo could sleep with him that night.

"He can, but there's no guarantee that he'll still be here in the morning." Enjolras stood up to go get the cat.

Grantaire had just finished marking the story that Casey wanted Enjolras to read when Enjolras came back with Oreo. Casey took Oreo in his arms before setting him down next to him and trading the cat for Bear. Their son laid down, and Grantaire handed Enjolras the book to read Casey his bedtime story.

Then, after the story, Casey still wasn't fully asleep, so Grantaire sang him the lullaby a few times over. Finally, Casey was asleep and his parents leaned down to kiss his forehead. After leaving Casey's room, they went into the living room. Enjolras chose a movie to watch while Grantaire got them some lemonade. When he came into the living room, he saw that Enjolras had chosen _Inception._ Grantaire set down the lemonade, then Enjolras pulled him into his arms and threw a blanket over them before hitting play on the movie.

As the movie began, Enjolras asked. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Alright. Still late?"

Grantaire nodded. "I'm going to wait two more days before I take the test, just to make sure."

Enjolras kissed his temple, but didn't say anything.

***

And those two days went quick. Grantaire still hadn't gotten his period, but he didn't know if he was ready to take the test, yet. Enjolras had taken Casey out to see his parents. Grantaire hadn't been up to going, so he stayed home. While Grantaire looked through cookbooks to find dinner, he felt his stomach growing nauseous and ran into the bathroom just in time to vomit into the toilet.

He stood back up and cleaned himself up before he saw the test, waiting for him. Grantaire grabbed it and stared at it for a few minutes before caving in.

10 minutes later, Grantaire couldn't believe what he was staring at. After months of trying and each test ending in a negative, they were finally lucky with a positive test. Grantaire's hand fell to his stomach and he smiled. He was now extremely anxious for Enjolras and Casey to get home.

Grantaire was still staring at the test when he heard the front door open and Casey scream, excitedly. "Oreo!"

Grantaire walked into the bedroom and hid the test under his pillow.

"Love!" Enjolras called.

"Coming!" Grantaire called back.

Grantaire left their bedroom and walked into the kitchen, not able to keep the smile off of his face. Enjolras looked at him, suspiciously, but Grantaire simply mouthed, "Later."

As they ate dinner (it was simply mac and cheese and hot dogs), Grantaire was struggling to keep his dinner down. Enjolras kept looking at him with a concerned look on his face, as Grantaire pushed the food around on his plate. Casey was oblivious to it as he rambled on about what he did at his grandparent's place that day.

After dinner as they were doing the dishes. Casey was coloring on the living room floor. Grantaire was drying the dishes when he got a whiff of Enjolras' cologne, something that usually didn't bother him, and he had to place the towel and dish on the table before running to the bathroom.

Enjolras smiled, suspiciously, as he turned off the water and dried his hand. He called to Casey. "Buddy, I'm going to go check on Papa. We'll be right back."

Casey didn't say anything as he watched Enjolras walk down the hallway. Enjolras knocked on the doorway of the bathroom just as Grantaire was flushing the toilet and standing up.

"Hey, you alright?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire nodded as he reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste. "Just give me a minute. There's something I need to tell you."

Enjolras waited patiently for Grantaire to brush his teeth. Then, after he finished, Grantaire grabbed his hand and led him into his room. He walked towards the pillow and reached for what was hiding underneath. Grantaire turned and walked back to Enjolras, hiding the test behind his back.

"'Taire, what is it?" Enjolras asked.

"I know, I should have waited, but I just couldn’t. Just look." Grantaire held out the test towards Enjolras.

Enjolras took the stick and looked down. Only to see the small little pink plus sign looking back at him. He looked at Grantaire, back to the test, and then back to Grantaire. "Are you…?"

"Yes."

Enjolras wrapped his arms around Grantaire's waist and picked him up to spin him around. When he set him down, he gave him a passionate kiss.

Grantaire pulled away. "I have to go see Dr. Whitehouse to confirm it, but yes."

Enjolras smiled, then kissed him. "Are we going to tell Casey?"

Grantaire's smiled faded. "Yes, but not right away. After I pass 13 weeks, then we can tell him."

"Why after 13?" Enjolras asked.

"There's less chance of miscarriage after that. And I don't want to get Casey's hopes up of having a little brother or sister, only to lose the baby." Grantaire explained.

Enjolras nodded. "Alright, I understand. We'll wait."

"I'll call Dr. Whitehouse tomorrow to see how soon he can get me in." Grantaire said.

***

As they laid in their bed that night, Grantaire couldn't help the smile that came when Enjolras placed his hand over his stomach protectively. But at the same time, he felt a tugging on his heart because this was what he had wanted during his pregnancy with Casey, but he had only felt it once. But that time, Enjolras had no idea that a baby had been growing there.

***

Two days later, Enjolras and Grantaire were sitting in an exam room, waiting for the nurse to come and draw blood. The blood was soon drawn, but it was another 20 minutes before Dr. Whitehouse was coming through the door. His face was neutral causing anxiousness to build in Grantaire's chest.

He couldn't hold back the question. "Well?"

Dr. Whitehouse looked at him. "Yes, Grantaire, you are pregnant." Enjolras squeezed Grantaire's hand as they smiled at each other. "I'd say that you are roughly around four weeks with a due date around January 11th." They couldn't keep the smiles off their faces until the doctor said his next words. "However, that being said, I must heed caution. It's not a high-risk pregnancy and both Dr. Jones and I expect you to carry to full-term with no complications, but I just want you to be careful. I know how much this means to both of you." The couple nodded in agreement. "Alright, then. Congratulations, you two."

He shook both their hands before leaving the room. Grantaire got off the exam table. He pulled Enjolras in for a hug.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Grantaire whispered.


	28. Twenty-Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we start this chapter's flashback by checking in on how Enjolras is doing after all these years. (Hint: not well.)
> 
> Disclaimer: Still don't own.

_February 7 th, 2014_

Courfeyrac stood in the apartment on a Friday night, trying to convince Enjolras to come to the party that he was throwing. Enjolras kept refusing, telling him that he had homework.

"Enj, come on." Courfeyrac begged. "An hour. Come to the party for an hour that's all I'm asking."

Enjolras rolled his eyes, but didn't respond.

Courfeyrac sighed in frustration. "God, you haven't been any fun since Grantaire left. You can't put your entire life on hold waiting for him to come back."

Enjolras turned to glare at his friend. "I can do whatever I want. It's my life."

"How do you even know that he will come back?" Courfeyrac asked.

Enjolras didn't say anything.

Ever since they had stopped the search for Grantaire, Enjolras had lived in a never ending cycle of getting up, getting dressed, coffee, school, homework, food, sleep. It was the same thing every day. His friends and parents tried to break him out of it, but nothing was working. He didn't smile or laugh. His eyes weren't as bright as they used to be. They knew that was because his heart was in some far off place, not wanting to be found.

"Enj, just come for a half an hour." Courfeyrac said.

Enjolras had been trying to keep his cool, but he just couldn't anymore. "Courfeyrac, I said no and I'm not going to change my mind, so please stop pushing."

"Fine." Courfeyrac said. "You know ever since he left, you've been insufferable."

His friend then left the apartment in a huff.

Enjolras breathed a sigh, turning back to his homework.

When he decided to take a break from his homework, Enjolras went into his bedroom. His eye catching the canvas painting that Grantaire had given him for his 18th birthday.

It was a painting of them where they were sitting on window seats in different rooms, but clearly longing for each other. Grantaire's side was shaded with green and Enjolras' had shades of red. Grantaire was sketching with his art supplies surrounding him; Enjolras had his computer and papers around him. Through the windows, you could see the skyline of Paris. Grantaire had chosen to set it in Paris since that was one place they both dreamed to go. It was his favorite piece of art that Grantaire had ever done for him.

Enjolras felt so lost without Grantaire. He just wanted to know why the love of his life left him with no explanation. For weeks following that one simple Unknown phone call, Enjolras had hoped that the caller would call again, but they never had. And despite it being a couple years since, Enjolras was still sure that it had been Grantaire.

Enjolras didn't know how many people had approached him asking him on a date and he had to politely turn them down, saying that he was happily taken. He didn't care what anyone said. Enjolras believed wholeheartedly that Grantaire would return to him. He had to believe that, he just had to. Believing that was what kept him sane.

Enjolras sighed before leaving the room to go back to doing his homework.

***

**_July 2019_ **

Finally, Grantaire was 15 weeks pregnant, and they decided that it was time to tell Casey. They hadn't told anyone else because they agreed that Casey was going to be the first one to know. Grantaire was just starting to show, but just barely. He wore clothes that would hide the showing from Casey. Enjolras would get nervous any time that Grantaire would agree to giving Casey a piggyback ride, but he assured him that he was fine. Grantaire could already tell that Enjolras was going to be extremely protective of him.

But that day, they were going to have a picnic in the park. As they walked to find a spot, Casey had the blanket, running ahead of his parents to find the perfect spot. Grantaire walked hand in hand with Enjolras, who had the picnic basket.

Casey stopped and called that he had found the perfect spot. Enjolras and Grantaire walked to the spot their son had picked to help him unfold the blanket. Then, they sat down on the blanket to start eating. Casey had also brought a Frisbee, in hopes to get his parents to play.

The family ate their lunch. Then, when they were done, Casey asked his parents if they would play Frisbee with him. Enjolras looked at Grantaire, who nodded, and the parents agreed. They stood up and played with him. Enjolras was carefully watching Grantaire to make sure nothing happened to him. After a while, the family stopped playing because Casey wanted ice cream. Grantaire and Casey went to the nearest stand to get ice cream, and then when they came back, his parents silently had a conversation with their eyes that it was time to tell him.

As Casey ate his ice cream, Enjolras asked.

"Buddy, can Papa and I talk to you for a minute?" Enjolras asked.

Casey finished his ice cream. Then, he crawled into Enjolras' lap. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, little bug." Grantaire ruffled his curls. "We just have to tell you something."

"What?"

"Well, buddy, how would you feel about having a little brother or sister?" Enjolras asked.

Casey's eyes lit up. "I want one. I would be the best biggest brother in the world."

Grantaire smiled. Not bothering to correct the grammar. "That's good, little bug, because you _are_ going to have a little brother or sister."

"What?"

"Papa's going to have a baby, buddy."

Casey shot out of his father's lap to wrap his arms around Grantaire. "I'm going to have a brother or sister!" He screamed.

"Yes, little bug, you are." Grantaire said. He looked at Enjolras, who was smiling widely.

Casey started rambling about all the ways that he was going to be a great big brother. Enjolras crawled over to Grantaire and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, his other hand found its spot over Grantaire's belly. Grantaire placed his own over it.

"I told you that he'd be happy." Grantaire whispered.

Enjolras rolled his eyes before his gaze settled back on Casey, who was still rambling away. He called Casey to get his attention.

"Casey, we still have to talk to you about something." Enjolras told him. Casey came to sit in front of his parents again. "We are going to need your help before and after the baby arrives. So, can you be our little helper?"

Casey nodded, enthusiastically. "Yes, Daddy."

They both pulled Casey into a hug.

***

Finally, when Grantaire was 22 weeks (September 10th, 2019), they had the appointment where they could find out the sex if they wanted. And since the appointment was scheduled for once Enjolras and Casey were out of school, and Dr. Whitehouse had given permission, the expectant parents were allowed to bring Casey to the appointment. As long as Casey stayed near Enjolras and didn't touch anything.

Dr. Whitehouse came in the exam room. He smiled when he saw the small family. He walked to Grantaire.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Whitehouse asked.

"Um…alright. Uncomfortable, or at least, getting there."

Dr. Whitehouse chuckled. "Yes, of course, and you'll just grow more as your pregnancy goes on."

"Oh, goody." Grantaire's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Shall we have a look?" Dr. Whitehouse asked.

Grantaire laid down, his hand reaching for Enjolras', who was sitting on a chair with Casey in his lap. Grantaire rolled up his t-shirt for Dr. Whitehouse to squeeze some of the gel on to his belly.

"Daddy, what is he putting on Papa?" Casey whispered to Enjolras.

Enjolras looked at his son. "It's a gel that will help us see your little sibling." It was the simplest explanation for a seven-year old.

Casey nodded, but didn't say anything else. He just watched as the doctor moved the wand-like object around his papa's stomach.

Dr. Whitehouse smiled at the screen. He turned the screen to face his patient, his patient's boyfriend, and their son. He pointed to the gray blob. "There they are."

Grantaire glanced at Enjolras, with tears in his eyes. He saw tears in Enjolras' eyes, as well.

"They are right on schedule with their development. Would you like to know the sex?" Dr. Whitehouse asked. Grantaire and Enjolras nodded. "Alright, well…let's see." The doctor moved the wand around. "It looks like…" The doctor looked at Casey. "Can I get a drumroll, Casey?" Casey patted his thighs in the form of a drum roll. "It looks like Casey will be having a little brother."

Casey clapped his hands excitedly. Enjolras pressed a kiss to Grantaire's forehead. A tear slipped from his boyfriend's eyes and he wiped it away.

"Like I said, he's right on track, so congratulations." Dr. Whitehouse handed Grantaire a tissue to wipe his belly of the gel before he sat up. Dr. Whitehouse then turned to Casey and pulled a sticker and sucker out of his lab coat pocket. "For being such a good boy."

Casey took them and said, "Thank you."

He had Enjolras' help in putting the sticker on his shirt. It was a sticker that had Jack Jack from _The Incredibles_ on it. Casey unwrapped the sucker and stuck it in his mouth. The family left the hospital. Casey had his hand in Grantaire's as they made their way to the car.

***

More weeks in his pregnancy passed until he was about 30 weeks (November 7th, 2019). Casey was now in second grade and Enjolras was back to teaching. When Grantaire wasn't at work, he was home with his full attention on decorating the nursery.

The nursery was the last room on the left side of the hall. It was right next to Casey's bedroom. It had been used as a storage room when Grantaire and Casey had first moved in to the apartment. Of course, the baby would be spending the first six months in the small crib that Grantaire had set up in his and Enjolras' bedroom. Grantaire had decided to reuse some of Casey's baby clothes, at least the clothes that had been cute, depending on the size of the baby. Thankfully, they already had the crib, changing table, stroller, and car seat. Their friends had already bombarded them with more baby clothes and a couple of packages of diapers.

Grantaire had decided to paint the nursery periwinkle. He didn't add much detail unlike Casey's bedroom that had an ocean theme to it, but the baby would have his, Enjolras', and Casey's handprints (done in white paint) in the dark blue heart that Grantaire had painted above the crib. Grantaire would add the baby's after he was born. Enjolras had loved what Grantaire had done with the nursery which caused him to be even more anxious for their second son to be born.

Enjolras and Casey were also obsessed with feeling the baby kick against their hands. Casey had taken to calling his brother "peanut" since they still hadn't decided on a name. They were sure that they were going to hyphenate their last names like Casey. But a first and middle name still hadn't been picked out.

One night after Casey had been put to bed, they sat on the couch, discussing baby names.

"Well, what do you think about Luc?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Luc was a no. He sighed in frustration. "I don't get it. With Casey, I knew almost immediately what his name would be, but this one, I'm bla…" Just then an idea struck him.

"What?" Enjolras asked.

"How do you feel about Ezra? After your mother's father? He died when you were 14, right?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras nodded. "I like Ezra, but what about a middle name? I know you refuse to name him after your parents, so…what about we name him after my father?"

"I like it, but now we need to decide the order. Ezra Gabriel or Gabriel Ezra?" Grantaire asked.

They looked at each other before saying in unison. "Ezra Gabriel."

"It's perfect." Enjolras said, his hand sliding across his boyfriend's stomach. "You're so beautiful, love."

Grantaire blushed. He leaned over to kiss him. "And you're biased."

"No, I'm not. I'm telling the truth. You're beautiful. Your stomach all swelled with our second child and you have a glow around you. It's the most perfect thing in the world. Just like you." Enjolras said, kissing and biting at his boyfriend's neck.

Grantaire moaned, quietly. "God, if Casey wasn't in the next room…"

"But he is, darling." Enjolras said, coming back to his senses.

"Yes, he is."

***

Later that night, after they went to bed, Grantaire had only been asleep for about three hours when he was being shaken awake. He opened his eyes to see Casey with Bear.

"What's wrong, little bug?" Grantaire asked.

"Bad dream."

"It's alright, little bug. Come on." Grantaire said, moving the blankets. Casey crawled onto the bed. "Just be careful for Papa's belly."

Casey crawled over Grantaire's legs, so that he was lying in the middle of his fathers. Enjolras woke up when he felt a small nudge to his ribs.

"What's going on?" Enjolras asked, groggily.

"Nightmare."

Enjolras looked down and saw that Casey still looked terrified. "It's alright, buddy. It's not going to hurt you."

"I know, but it was scary."

Enjolras pulled Casey to him in a hug. "I know, buddy."

They waited a little while to see if Casey would fall back asleep on his own, but he wasn't. Grantaire felt the baby kick, so in order to keep Casey's thoughts off of his dream, he placed Casey's hand on his stomach so he could feel.

Casey smiled at the feeling. After a few minutes, he couldn't help, but ask. "Papa, where did peanut come from?"

Grantaire looked at Enjolras, who was trying to hold back a smirk. "Well, little bug, peanut came from the same place you did."

"Where was that?" Casey asked.

"Well, I guess the easiest explanation is that Daddy loved me so much that one night he gave me a very special hug. A hug that is only for adults. And when, he gave me that hug, it resulted in you and your little brother." Grantaire said. They'd explain how they really came to be when it wasn't the middle of the night.

Casey smiled. "Will I eventually get one of those hugs?"

Enjolras chuckled. "When you get older and find someone who loves you just as much as Papa and I love each other. Like Papa said, it's a hug for only adults."

"Okay."

Grantaire smiled before kissing Casey's forehead. "Now, little bug, it's time to sleep. The dream wasn't real and Daddy and I are right here."

Casey nodded as he cuddled into Grantaire and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come back on Wednesday for 28 and 29!
> 
> The painting that Grantaire created for Enjolras that is mentioned in this chapter is inspired by my favorite piece of Enjoltaire fanart by [rdjpwns.](https://rdjpwns.tumblr.com/post/119908736800/i-have-no-idea-why-or-how-but-this-piece-was)
> 
> The reason for the time jumps in Grantaire's pregnancy is because I didn't want to write multiple chapters regarding it like I did with the flashbacks for Casey.
> 
> Also, in any of my fics where Enjolras and Grantaire have children, I can pretty much guarantee that they will always have sons. Why? I honestly don't know.
> 
> Finally, my favorite moment in this chapter is when they tell Casey that he is going to have a little brother or sister.


	29. Twenty-Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own!

_April 5 th, 2014_

Casey was now two years old. So far, the terrible twos hadn't been a thing with the little boy. Granted, Casey wasn't much for temper tantrums anyway. Grantaire just hoped that it stayed that way. Every time Grantaire went somewhere and saw a child about Casey's age throwing a tantrum, he always felt a pang of sympathy for the child and empathy for the parents. He also felt happiness since Casey didn't do that. If Casey did throw a tantrum, they only occurred when Grantaire was leaving him at daycare or with Clara and/or Aimee. Grantaire was so thankful that he had been given a child that was practically an angel.

Casey was also big on copying everything that Grantaire did. If his papa was drawing or painting, Casey needed to be, too. Even if, they were just scribbles. He just needed to imitate whatever his father was doing.

Grantaire smiled as he watched his son scribble on a piece of scrap paper with an orange crayon. His tongue slightly sticking out of the side of his mouth. It was little things like that that reminded Grantaire again of how much Casey was like Enjolras. Then, as usual, Casey had Bear, the stuffed blue bear that Aimee had given him for his birthday, under his arm as he colored.

Grantaire had switched from coloring an hour ago, but Casey hadn't noticed. Instead, Grantaire was updating the baby book for Enjolras. The thing was so huge already, but Grantaire was determined to keep it going. He had promised himself that everything about Casey would be documented until they moved back to New York City and he had no idea when that would be.

Eventually, Grantaire put the baby book away and asked Casey if he was hungry to which Casey excitedly agreed to. Grantaire picked up his son and carried him into the kitchen for lunch.

***

**_January 2020_ **

It was two days before Grantaire's due date, and he was just as irritable as he had been when he had been pregnant with Casey. Ezra was constantly kicking up a storm that it was driving Grantaire insane. It also didn't help that Ezra had turned so that he was in position for the birth, so most of his kicks were to Grantaire's ribs. Grantaire was very ready to have Ezra out of him.

That day, though, Grantaire had decided to finish washing all the baby clothes that they had received. Isabelle had insisted on a small baby shower, so they had had one in December and they had been showered with plenty of gifts for Ezra. The nursery and apartment were ready for the arrival of a baby. The diaper bag and a bag for Grantaire was all set and ready to go to the hospital once the time came.

They had agreed that it would only be Enjolras in the delivery room, which all of their friends and family agreed to since it would allow them to watch Casey. It was also in agreement that the first one to see the new baby would be Casey.

Casey was also a big help in getting ready for the baby. He had helped in getting the apartment ready and had been anxious to help Grantaire with the nursery. Casey helped Grantaire cook, do the laundry, and the other household chores. He was also very quiet whenever Grantaire needed to rest. Overall, Casey was just as excited at his parents were for the arrival of his baby brother.

Grantaire was coming back from getting the laundry and had just opened the door when Enjolras saw him.

"'Taire, you know what the doctor said, no heavy lifting." Enjolras took the laundry basket from him.

Grantaire rolled his eyes. "It's a laundry basket. Besides, I'm pregnant. Not an invalid."

"But you are two days from being due, so go and sit, and I'll bring the basket to you." Enjolras said.

That was another thing, as Grantaire had predicted, Enjolras had grown to be extremely protective of him. He made sure that Grantaire never lifted anything that he wasn't supposed to. He made sure that Grantaire was only on his feet a certain amount of hours and that he got plenty of rest. Enjolras also made sure that Casey didn't get underfoot.

Casey was sitting on the floor, playing with his train set when Grantaire came to sit on the couch. Enjolras placed the laundry basket on the coffee table, then went back into the kitchen to start dinner.

Grantaire sighed. "Hey, little bug, you want to help Papa fold the laundry?"

Casey looked up at his father with a smile and nodded. He put away his train set before coming to sit next to Grantaire. Grantaire took one of the onesies out of the basket and folded it. Casey then copied his father.

"Papa, will I be able to help with peanut after he's born?" Casey asked. They had told Casey the name of his brother, but he still refused to call him by it.

"Of course, little bug. Papa and Daddy are going to need your help more than ever once Ezra arrives." Grantaire replied.

Casey smiled again as he continued to help Grantaire fold. "Will peanut be able to play with me?"

"Not at first, little bug. He's going to very small at first. You'll have to wait a few years." Grantaire said.

Casey pouted a little. "Okay."

They finished folding the laundry. Then, Casey went to help Grantaire bring it away in Ezra's nursery.

"Papa, will peanut like me?" Casey asked, looking at the ground.

Grantaire bent down as much as he could. "I think Ezra will adore you and will be very proud to call you his big brother."

Casey smiled before hugging his papa.

They finished putting the laundry away, just as Enjolras was calling them for dinner.

***

It was five in the morning on January 11th, 2020 and Grantaire was restless. He was tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable. He could tell that he had woken Enjolras, but his boyfriend was feigning sleep by keeping his eyes closed.

"Love, you need to try and sleep." Enjolras turned over to face Grantaire.

Grantaire sighed in frustration as he stared at the ceiling. His hands resting on his belly. His stomach was definitely larger than what it had been with Casey. "I'm trying, but your son is making it difficult."

Enjolras chuckled as he opened his eyes. "Since when is he my son?"

Grantaire scoffed. "He's going to be your son until I give birth."

Enjolras shook his head. "You're being dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic. I'm...just…" Grantaire trailed off.

"Pregnant, love, I know."

Grantaire turned his head to glare at his boyfriend. "You know after the postpartum period, I'm going to punish you by not giving you sex."

Enjolras raised an eyebrow. "Really? You know as well as I do that that will last about a week before you are begging me…" He trailed off when he saw the look of concern on Grantaire's face. He sat up. "Love, what is it?"

"I think my water just broke." Grantaire said.

"Are you sure?" Enjolras asked. Grantaire gave him a pointed look. "Right, right, sorry. Any contractions?"

Grantaire shook his head as he got out of the bed. "No, not yet?"

Enjolras went to grab Grantaire's robe from the bathroom. He wrapped it around his shoulders. "Do you want me to call anyone?"

"Call your parents and Clara. Let them know that my water broke and ask if one of them can come over." Grantaire said.

"What about Casey?"

"Let him sleep until either your parents or Clara are here." Grantaire said.

Enjolras nodded as he went to grab his phone. Grantaire started walking around the room, holding his belly. Enjolras called Clara first. He explained that Grantaire's water broke, but contractions hadn't started yet. Of course, right after he said that, he heard the unmistakable sound of Grantaire's scream.

"I take that back. They just started." Enjolras said.

He finished talking to Clara after asking if she could come over, who agreed. Then, he called his parents to let them know and told them to be on standby for when they headed to the hospital. He would wait to call their friends until they were at the hospital. Enjolras put his phone in his pajama pants pockets. He walked to where Grantaire was sitting at the foot of the bed.

"The contractions started."

"I heard." Enjolras said. "Clara and Aimee are on their way."

Grantaire nodded. "Okay. Grab a piece of paper. We need to time the contractions."

Enjolras did as his boyfriend asked. "Do you want to walk around?"

Grantaire nodded as he stood up and started pacing the length of the bedroom.

***

At first the contractions were only 20 minutes apart, and by the time Grantaire went through the third one, Aimee and Clara were arriving. Grantaire had moved out to the living room with Enjolras to wait for them.

Clara wasn't even fully in the door before she was asking. "How far apart are they?"

"20 minutes."

"Alright. Where's Casey?"

"Still asleep." Grantaire said as he walked around.

***

It wasn’t until about nine in the morning when the contractions changed from 20 minutes apart to 10 minutes apart. Casey had woken up by then and was asking for breakfast which Aimee had gotten started.

As he heard his father moan in pain, Casey turned to Aimee and asked. "What's wrong with Papa?"

"Nothing's wrong. It just means that your little brother will be arriving soon." Aimee explained.

Finally, when the clock hit 2:19 P.M., a contraction hit that was so powerful that Grantaire couldn't talk through it. Followed by another five minutes later, followed by another.

"They're five minutes apart." Enjolras finished writing it down.

"Let's move." Clara said. "Enjolras, Aimee will take Casey in our car. I'll ride with you and Grantaire to the hospital. Aimee call Dr. Whitehouse and let him know that we're coming."

They all nodded as they got ready to leave the apartment.

***

Clara had done the honors of driving Grantaire's car while Enjolras sat in the back with Grantaire, holding his hand. As they drove, Grantaire was hit with a particularly strong contraction that when he squeezed Enjolras' hand, his boyfriend was sure that he had broken a bone or two.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. Whitehouse was already waiting. He took Grantaire and Enjolras back to an exam room while Clara and Aimee waited with Casey in the waiting room.

"Why can't I go with?" Casey asked Clara.

"Because it's best if you wait with us." Clara put her hands on her great-grandson's shoulders before leading him to one of the seats in the waiting room.

***

When they got to the exam room, Dr. Whitehouse had Grantaire change into a hospital gown before checking how many centimeters dilated he was.

"Well, Grantaire, you're only four centimeters, so it will still be a little while." Grantaire groaned. "In the meantime, I'd call your loved ones to let them know." Dr. Whitehouse then left the room.

Grantaire turned to Enjolras and sighed. "Might as well do as he said and call everyone else."

Enjolras was already in the process of sending a mass text to their friends to let them know. Then, he was going to call his parents.

"Well, love, it's actually happening." Enjolras said after catching their loved ones up on what was happening.

"I know." Grantaire took his hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Enjolras pressed a kiss to his lips, but the kiss was cut short by Grantaire's scream as a contraction hit.

***

Three and half hours later, Grantaire was fully dilated. All their friends and family were waiting in the waiting room. Enjolras was standing next to Grantaire. Dr. Whitehouse was getting all the necessary clothing on before they started the delivery. Two nurses were standing around them waiting to be needed.

"Alright." Dr. Whitehouse said after he was ready. He situated Grantaire the way he needed to be. "Grantaire, on the count of three, start pushing." Grantaire reached for Enjolras' hand. "One, two…three."

Grantaire started pushing. He pushed again and again and again following Dr. Whitehouse's instructions, all while squeezing Enjolras' hand. With this birth, they had decided to do a natural birth, so Grantaire was feeling every second of it. Grantaire soon needed a chance to catch his breath and he fell back against the pillows. His curls were matting his forehead due to sweat and tears.

"No more, please."

"You're almost there, Grantaire. Just a few more pushes."

Grantaire shook his head as tears continued to fall. Enjolras' heart clinched because it was clear the love of his life was tired and in pain, but he needed to keep going.

"Love, look at me. You can do this." Enjolras said.

"No, 'Jolras, I can't."

"Yes, you can. Just a few more pushes, and we'll have our Ezra in our arms. You can do this, love." Enjolras encouraged.

Grantaire looked at him before glancing at Dr. Whitehouse. He nodded as he sat back up. Dr. Whitehouse counted down before Grantaire started pushing again.

He continued to push and push. Grantaire squeezed Enjolras's hand so hard that it was turning blue. Grantaire stopped again, but when he heard Dr. Whitehouse say that he could see the head, he found his strength to keep going. At some point, Enjolras had crawled behind Grantaire to continue whispering encouragements into his lover's ear.

Dr. Whitehouse told him to pause and relax while he worked to get the baby out. Eventually, the room erupted with the sound of cries. He fell back against Enjolras, who had started crying too. Dr. Whitehouse asked Enjolras if he wanted to cut the cord. Enjolras crawled out from behind Grantaire to do just that. Dr. Whitehouse handed the baby off to the nurse standing next to him.

The nurse finished cleaning the baby up and wrapped him in a blanket, she brought him over to Enjolras.

"He's perfectly healthy. Weighing seven pounds and 15 ounces and 19 inches long. Born at 7:15 P.M." The nurse said, handing him off.

Enjolras took the baby with great care. Tears streaming down his cheeks. "Hello, Ezra. I'm your daddy. I love you, so much." He kissed his newborn son's forehead before bringing him over to Grantaire. He placed little baby Ezra in Grantaire's arms.

"Oh, my God, 'Jolras. He's perfect." Grantaire cried. Tears falling from his eyes, too. "Hi, Ezra. I'm your papa."

As the parents got acquainted with Ezra, they remembered that they had another son waiting patiently to meet his little brother.

"Go and get him." Grantaire said. He kissed Enjolras on the lips.

Enjolras left the delivery room and headed down to the waiting room. When he entered the room, Jehan was the first to see him, getting everyone else's attention, but they didn't say anything. Casey was only one who hadn't noticed his father's presence until there was a shadow above him.

"Casey." Enjolras said. Casey looked up. "Let's go meet your brother." He held out his hand which Casey took enthusiastically.

The father and son left the room with everyone watching them. All of them wishing they could be part of that moment, but knew that it was only for the family of four. Their moment would come.

Enjolras got back with Casey. They quickly sanitized their hands before they walked in to the room. Grantaire smiled at Casey before gesturing for him to come closer. Enjolras lifted him up, so he could sit on the bed to see his little brother.

"Casey meet your baby brother."

Casey smiled at his little brother, reaching out for his little hand. "Hello there, peanut. I'm Casey, and I'm going to be the best big brother that you've ever had."

Enjolras and Grantaire smiled at each other as their hearts melted at the sight of their two children interacting.

After a few minutes, one of the nurses came back in and asked if they wanted a picture. Enjolras and Casey arranged themselves around Grantaire and the newborn. The family of four smiled as the nurse snapped the picture.


	30. Twenty-Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, there's four more to go, plus the epilogue!
> 
> Disclaimer: Once again, you know the drill.

_March 23 rd, 2015_

Casey was three years old. The stage that he was at now was that ever word out of his mouth was "why". Why this? Why that? Why, why, why, why? Grantaire had known that it would come sooner or later, he was just hoping for later.

That day, they were going to the store to pick up some things for Clara and some things for the two of them. The moment Grantaire placed him into the seat of the cart, Casey was asking him a why question.

"Why are we here, Papa?"

Grantaire finished buckling him in and took the list out of his back pocket. "Because we need to buy groceries for Grandma Clara." Grantaire pushed the cart into the store to begin their shopping.

"Why do we need to buy things for Grandma?" Casey asked.

"Because we need food in the house." Grantaire replied.

"Why?"

Grantaire smiled. "Because it's a life necessity."

Casey didn't ask any more why questions until they were about halfway through their grocery store trip. Then, he asked another.

"Papa, why do we need so many?" Casey looked in the cart.

"Because Grandma has an important event coming up."

They finished their grocery run. Grantaire pushed the cart into a checkout lane and started to place the items on the conveyer belt. The elderly woman working the lane, smiled.

"Your son is cute." The woman said as she scanned things.

"Thanks."

"He doesn't look that much like you, though." The woman said.

"Papa said that I look like my daddy." Casey told the woman.

The woman looked at Grantaire with a disgusted look on her face as she finished scanning the groceries. Grantaire rolled his eyes as he thought, sarcastically, _Great. Homophobia at its finest._ He paid the price before placing the groceries back in the cart and pushing it away from the lane.

"Goodbye, nice lady." Casey called back.

Grantaire frowned as he pushed the cart out of the store. "Little bug, she wasn't a nice lady."

"But why?"

Grantaire sighed. "Because of…because of the fact that you have two fathers."

"But why does that matter?"

"Because little bug, she's a very small minded person that doesn't accept that love is love."

"I don't understand." Casey looked at his father, confused and sad.

Grantaire smiled at Casey, sadly. "I know, little bug. One day, Papa will explain it to you, but right now, just know that there are people in the world who are not the most accepting of people."

They made it back to the car. Grantaire unbuckled Casey from the cart to put him in the car. After Casey was settled in his car seat, Grantaire put the groceries in the back. He put the cart away (he had been lucky enough to get a parking spot right next to the cart return station), then Grantaire got in the car. He turned his head to look at Casey.

"Alright, ready to head home, little bug."

Casey nodded. "Yes, Papa."

Grantaire smiled as he started the car and they drove away from the grocery store.

***

**_February 2020_ **

Ezra was exactly one month old. Grantaire was still on leave from work. He had another 10 weeks of leave left. Enjolras had been able to only get two weeks off. Casey was going to be eight on Monday, but that year he didn't want a birthday party. He just wanted to go out for dinner with his parents and brother to The Palace.

But in the middle of the night, the Tuesday before Casey's birthday, Enjolras and Grantaire were both fast asleep when the sound of shrill crying, erupted in the bedroom. Grantaire awoke and groaned. He heard Enjolras wake up next to him.

Grantaire turned his head to say. "I just fed him an hour ago." He started getting up from the bed, but Enjolras stopped him.

"I got it. You go back to sleep." Enjolras planted a kiss to Grantaire's temple.

Enjolras got out of the bed while Grantaire laid back down. "Babe, do you want to check on Casey while you're at it. Make sure Ezra didn't wake him up."

"Of course."

Grantaire did his best to fall asleep again, but he couldn't sleep without Enjolras next to him. Enjolras walked over to the small crib to see that Ezra had kicked off his blanket.

"It's alright, peanut. Daddy's here." Enjolras picked up his crying son.

He first checked to see if Ezra was hungry, but he wasn't. Then, Enjolras checked to see if it was a dirty diaper.

"Oh, yup. That's what it is. Let's take care of that."

Enjolras took Ezra out of the room to the changing table in the nursery and took care of his son's diaper. He bounced Ezra in his arms as he paced to try to get him back to sleep. After about 20 minutes, Ezra was sleeping against his shoulder. Enjolras pressed a kiss to Ezra's forehead.

"I love you, Ezra." Enjolras whispered. He took Ezra with him when he walked down to Casey's room. Casey was still sound asleep with Bear clutched to his chest. Enjolras walked in and pressed a kiss to his forehead, too. He whispered, again. "And I love you, Casey."

When Enjolras got back to their room, he laid Ezra back in the crib. Grantaire was still side awake. He walked to his side of the bed and crawled in. Grantaire attached himself to Enjolras' side.

"What was wrong? Was Casey still asleep?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras smiled. "Dirty diaper. I changed it and he's back asleep. And Casey was still asleep."

"Good." Grantaire yawned. He snuggled closer into Enjolras' side.

Enjolras laid awake for a little while. His brain was turning. Grantaire was clearly exhausted and Enjolras wanted to allow him a little time where he could sleep. But knew that his lover would never agree to being away from his babies for longer than he needed to be.

"Babe, I can hear the gears turning from here. Wrap your arms around me and go to sleep." Grantaire groaned.

"I will, but first, I have an idea that I want to run by you." Enjolras said. "How would you like a day to sleep tomorrow?"

"I would love it, but we both know that can't happen."

"Yes, it can. Love, I know you won't admit it, but you're exhausted. You need to rest. I'll handle both of them in the morning." Enjolras said.

"And when you leave for work?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras sighed. "I can call my parents and see if they can take Ezra for the day. I'll drop Casey off at school, as well as pick him up. I'll leave around 2:50 in order to be there before he's done." He explained. "I'll handle breakfast, too, and then before we leave I'll bring them in to say goodbye to you."

"Alright, but I'm not going to spend the whole day sleeping. I'll be up by the time you get home with the boys." Grantaire said, pressing a kiss to his chest.

Enjolras kissed Grantaire's. He wrapped his arms around Grantaire, like he was asked to do, and then fell asleep.

***

Enjolras' alarm went off, so he had to pull himself from Grantaire's arms. His boyfriend was still sound asleep. Enjolras grabbed his phone and left the room. He called his parents, and it was his mother who answered the phone.

 _"Hello, sweetheart. It's a little early to be calling, don't you think?"_ Isabelle asked.

"Yes, but I was wondering if you'd be interested in watching Ezra for the day?" Enjolras asked. "It's just that…I want to give Grantaire a day where he can rest up. He won't admit it, but I know that he's exhausted."

_"Of course, we'll watch Ezra. You two don't have to take care of both of my grandsons all by yourselves. That's what we, Clara, Aimee, and your friends are for."_

"I know. Thanks, Mom. I'll bring Ezra around after I drop Casey off at school." Enjolras told his mother.

_"Great. See you then."_

Enjolras and Isabelle said their pleasantries before hanging up. Enjolras walked back into his room and started getting ready to take a shower. When he was done with his shower, he quickly got dressed. Enjolras picked up Ezra. He wasn't crying, but he was awake, mesmerized by the mobile as it turned.

"Good morning, my little Ezra." Enjolras picked up his son and carried him into the nursery.

He checked to see if the diaper was dirty. It wasn't, but he changed it anyway. He got Ezra dressed for the day before leaving the nursery and walking to Casey's bedroom.

Casey was stirring when he walked in. Enjolras walked to the bed to gently shake him awake. Casey opened his eyes. "Good morning, Daddy."

"Good morning, buddy."

Casey got out of the bed. Enjolras did what he could with helping Casey get ready for the day, but with only one hand it was a little hard.

"Where's Papa?" Casey asked.

"I'm letting him sleep in today. He's very tired."

Casey took the answer, then proceeded to get dressed. They left the bedroom and headed toward the kitchen.

"Buddy, what do you want for breakfast?" Enjolras asked after placing Ezra in the bassinet that was in the living room.

"Toast with cinnamon sugar." Casey said.

Enjolras nodded and set right to work on making his eldest son's breakfast. While the bread was in the toaster, he got Ezra's bottle ready. After getting Casey his toast, Enjolras went to get Ezra to feed him his bottle.

"Buddy, did you check your backpack to make sure you had everything?" Enjolras asked.

"Yes, Daddy. Both Papa and I checked it last night while you gave peanut his bath." Casey said. He still refused to call Ezra by his name. They figured that would last for years.

"Good." Enjolras said. He finished feeding Ezra and burped him before eating his own breakfast. He had Casey's help with the breakfast dishes before he took both children into his bedroom, so they could see their Papa. Grantaire was stirring when they walked in.

Casey waited patiently, right next to the bed. Enjolras and Ezra stood behind Casey. Ezra gurgled when he had seen his papa.

Grantaire opened his eyes. "Good morning, little bug."

"Good morning, Papa." Casey said with a smile.

Grantaire turned his gaze to the little baby in Enjolras' arms. "And how is my little Ezra?" He sat up a little, so that he could take Ezra from Enjolras' arms.

"Fed and changed, so he's a happy boy." Enjolras said.

"Good." Grantaire said. "You be good for Grandma Belle and Grandpa Gabe today, little peanut." He gave Ezra back to Enjolras, then turned back to Casey. "And you be good in school today."

"Yes, Papa." Casey hopped up on the bed, so he could hug his father.

Enjolras checked the time. "We gotta go, buddy."

"Okay, Daddy. I'll see you later, Papa. I love you." Casey gave his papa another hug before getting off the bed.

"I love you, too, little bug." Grantaire said. Enjolras brought Ezra closer to him, so he could give him a kiss on the forehead. "And I love you, too, little peanut." Then, he turned his gaze to Enjolras. Enjolras leaned closer, being careful not to squash Ezra as he kissed Grantaire. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." Enjolras said. "We'll see you later. Have a good rest day."

And with that Enjolras ushered Casey out of the room. He placed Ezra in the car seat before helping Casey get his jacket and backpack on. He put his own jacket on. Enjolras grabbed the car seat and his bag before leaving the apartment.

***

When he dropped Casey off at the school, he took Ezra out of the car seat to walk Casey to his classroom. Casey got settled in the classroom and said goodbye to Enjolras. Enjolras left Casey's school to head to his parent's place to drop off Ezra.

Enjolras carried Ezra into the penthouse. His mother was waiting patiently in the entry hall to see her grandson. Enjolras set the car seat on the table in order to unbuckle Ezra from the seat and handed him to his mother.

"I can't get over how much he looks like Grantaire." Isabelle said, taking Ezra gently from her son.

Enjolras grinned from ear to ear. His mother was right. Ezra had Grantaire's dark curls and his jade green eyes. He also had Grantaire's facial structure. Where Casey was all Enjolras, Ezra was all Grantaire. Enjolras and Grantaire found it a tad bit funny.

"Has he eaten today?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes, he has." Enjolras set the diaper bag on the table. "There are two changes of clothes in here as well as everything else that he will need. You'll be alright?"

"Yes, sweetie. We will be just fine."

Enjolras nodded. "Alright, well, I'll head out then." He walked to his mother to give her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her. His attention, then, turned to his son. "I love you, Ezra. Be good for Grandma today."

Ezra spit up some bubbles in response causing Enjolras to chuckle as he kissed his forehead.

***

The rest of the day had gone fast and soon Enjolras was on his way to pick Casey up from school. Casey saw his father walking down the hall, so he ran out of the classroom and attacked him with a hug. Casey may be almost eight-years old, but one thing that never changed was his excitement to see his parents after a long day at school.

Enjolras returned the hug before taking Casey's hand to walk with him down to his classroom.

"How was school today, buddy?" Enjolras asked.

"Good." Casey walked back into the classroom at the teacher's instruction.

Casey's teacher, Mr. Ellington, was used to Casey running out of the classroom at the end of the day when he saw one of his parents. He was never worried because Casey would always appear a few seconds later with either Enjolras or Grantaire standing next to him. When Mr. Ellington dismissed the class, Casey walked to Enjolras and took his hand.

"Are we going to pick up peanut?" Casey asked.

"Yes, we are. Then, we'll head home to see Papa."

They got in the car and headed toward the penthouse to pick up Ezra. When they got out of the elevator, Casey ran to his grandmother, who was putting Ezra back in his car seat.

"How is he? Is he alright?" Casey asked, enthusiastically. He was very protective of his little brother from anyone that wasn't Enjolras and Grantaire.

Isabelle looked down at her eldest grandson. "He's fine, sweetheart." She finished putting Ezra in the car seat.

Enjolras walked up to the table. "How was he?"

"Like an angel. Only cried a handful of times. I did have to change his outfit because he spit up all over it. I just changed his diaper before you got here." Isabelle gave a rundown on how Ezra was.

"Alright." Enjolras said. He looked at his son, who was wide awake. "Hey, there, peanut." Ezra smiled and swatted at his father. "Let's head home, buddy. Papa is waiting for us." Enjolras grabbed the car seat. He said goodbye to his mom and Casey followed suit.

They went back down to the car. Enjolras buckled Ezra's car seat in before making sure that Casey was settled. He walked to the driver's side and got in, and then they were off to head back home.

***

The moment Enjolras opened the door to the apartment, Casey ran in, already yelling for Grantaire. Enjolras walked in. He took off his jacket before taking Ezra out of the car seat. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw that Grantaire was in the living room. He was dressed in sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Grantaire looked relaxed, comfortable, and rested up which had been what Enjolras had been aiming for.

He finished taking Ezra out of the car seat, and he could hear Casey telling Grantaire about his day at school. Enjolras took Ezra into his arms and walked into the living room. Grantaire's attention was still on Casey, so Enjolras just sat down in one of the chairs in the living room, Ezra in his arms.

After Casey and Grantaire finished the conversation, Casey went to grab his backpack to start working on his homework. Grantaire turned to Enjolras and made grabby hands toward Ezra. Enjolras handed Ezra over to Grantaire before sitting down next to him.

"How was your rest day?" Enjolras asked, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Exactly what I needed, but I missed all three of you, very much." Grantaire said, turning his head to kiss Enjolras, but while they were still kissing, Ezra interrupted by crying. Just by the smell, Grantaire knew what was needed. "I'll go change him."

"Daddy, can you help me with my math?" Casey asked from where he was sitting at the dining table, working on homework.

"And I'll go help him."

And just like that, everything was back to the way it had been the day before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Friday!


	31. Thirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely adore this chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: Still own nothing, but plot and Casey and little baby Ezra.

_March 12 th, 2016_

Grantaire sat in his bedroom, working on the baby book while Casey played with his toys on the floor. The baby book was gigantic. Grantaire had no idea how many pages were inside it and he refused to count them. He had promised that everything would be documented, no matter how big it got. Grantaire was finishing up putting a picture in the album when he heard Casey ask.

"Papa, why isn't Daddy here?"

Grantaire froze at the question. The question was going to come sooner or later, but again, he had hoped for later. He sighed before placing the photos that still needed to be inserted in the album to mark his spot. He closed the album and placed it on his bedside table.

"Little bug, come here."

Casey dropped the toys that he was playing with to walk to the bed. With Grantaire's help, he hopped up on the bed. Grantaire sat Casey in front of him. He took Casey's little hands in his.

"Little bug, do you remember me explaining to you a few weeks ago why you call me "Papa" and how I'm a boy with the ability to have children?" Grantaire asked. Casey nodded. He was trying to come up with a way to explain why Enjolras wasn't there that a four-year old could understand. "Okay. Well, when Daddy and I fell in love, my parents – your grandparents – didn't like Daddy, very much."

"Why didn't they like him?" Casey asked.

Grantaire took a deep breath. "Because they thought that Daddy was the one who made me this way, even though, I had been a boy for years before I had even met Daddy. Anyway, when I found out that Daddy and I were going to have you, my parents threatened to take you away from us. Making it so that we wouldn't be the ones who raised you."

"NO! I only want to be with you." Casey threw himself into Grantaire's arms. Grantaire wrapped his arms around the small body of his son. He could feel Casey shaking with tears.

"Casey, it's alright." He soothed, running his fingers through the blonde curls. "It's alright." He pressed a kiss to Casey's cheek. "Little bug, look at me." Casey pulled away to look at his father. "No one is every going to take you away from me. Ever. You are my son. They will have on hell of a fight if they even think about taking you away from me." Grantaire said, protectively. He didn't care that he just used the word hell in front of his son. It was the truth. It would be over his dead body if anyone dared to take Casey from him.

"So, what happened, Papa? Why isn't Daddy here?" Casey asked.

"Daddy's not here because we thought that if he wasn't here, it would the easiest way to protect you. So, I'm here while Daddy is off fighting the people who would take you from us." Grantaire hated lying to him, but it was easier than telling Casey that Enjolras didn't even know that he had a son. "But I promise you, little bug, that Daddy wants to be here. He loves you, so much."

"Daddy is a superhero."

"Yes, little bug, Daddy is a superhero." Grantaire played along with him.

Casey smiled brightly before hugging his papa again. They stayed like that for a long time that Grantaire was about 95% sure that he had fallen asleep until he heard a small voice say.

"I'm glad Daddy is a superhero."

"I am, too, little bug. I am too." Grantaire kissed the top of his head.

***

**_April 2020_ **

Grantaire's leave from work was over, but he only went into the gallery in the mornings. Enjolras was the one who usually picked up Casey from school now, but every once in a while, if Grantaire knew that Enjolras had to stay after for a little while, he would pick up Casey. He was also allowed to take Ezra with him to the gallery for the few hours that he was there. It was an arrangement that Grantaire was very happy with, but knew that it wouldn't be an arrangement that could last forever.

Ezra was now three months old, but Casey was starting to notice that he was no longer the center of attention with his parents. Instead, his little brother was. Even while his papa had been pregnant with Ezra, he was still the apple of his parents' eye. But now he wasn't. He hadn't been for the last couple weeks. His parents had also promised him that he would be able to help with his baby brother, but he hadn’t been able to do that, either. Casey was beginning to feel very left out.

Casey was working on homework, but needed help studying his spelling words for the week. His papa was usually the one that helped him with his spelling, but he was currently with Ezra, so instead he went to Enjolras, who was sitting at the dining table working at his computer.

"Daddy, can you help me?" Casey asked.

Enjolras turned his head. "Sure, buddy. What do you need help with?" He pulled a chair out for Casey to sit at. "What are we doing? Spelling?"

"Yep." Casey handed him the list of spelling words.

"Alright." Enjolras looked through the list of words to find one for him to spell. "Sling."

"S-L-I-N-G." Casey spelled.

"Good job. Cling."

But before Casey could say anything, he heard his papa's voice.

"'Jolras, you have to come see this!" Grantaire called from Ezra's room.

Enjolras' attention was immediately taken from helping Casey to getting up and walking to the baby's bedroom. "What's going on?"

"He's rolling from his stomach to his back." Grantaire said with a laugh.

Casey watched his father disappear into the hallway and into the other room. He felt his heart sink and tears well in his eyes. He grabbed the sheet of paper and walked into the living room. Casey sat down on the couch to study the spelling words on his own.

***

Later that evening, the family had sat down to eat. Enjolras sat across from Casey. Grantaire was at the head with Ezra in his arms as he fed him his bottle.

Grantaire glanced at Casey and saw that he was picking at his food. "Little bug, you have to eat."

Casey looked at his plate. He had taken a few bites, but not very much. He looked at his papa. "Actually, Papa, I'm not very hungry. Can I be excused?"

His parents exchanged a look. "Yes, you can. Go pick out your pajamas and get ready for your shower. One of us will be there to help with the water once you're ready." Enjolras said.

Casey had transitioned from bath to shower in the last month of Grantaire's pregnancy with Ezra. Enjolras had observed the first few times, making sure that he got every inch of his body clean. Then once, Enjolras was satisfied with Casey's knowledge of personal hygiene, he stopped observing and let Casey shower himself. The only thing that his parents still had to do was check the temperature of the water for him, as well as make sure all the shampoo was out of his curls.

Casey stood up, leaving his plate at the table, and went to his bedroom to start getting ready for his shower. After his pajamas were picked out, he went into the bathroom where Grantaire was getting the water ready. His daddy was probably finishing feeding his little brother.

"Is everything alright, little bug?" Grantaire asked as he checked the water. Casey didn't say anything. He just nodded his head. "You know if something's bothering you, you can always talk to me and Daddy." Grantaire reminded him. Casey nodded again. "Okay. The water should be good." Grantaire started the shower and moved out of the way to allow Casey to step in. "Just call when you're ready to be done." Casey nodded before pulling the curtain closed. He heard Grantaire leave and started his shower.

When he was done, he called for Grantaire to come turn off the water. Grantaire also checked to make sure that Casey had gotten all the soap out of his hair. Once he had the all clear check, Casey grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his body. He left the bathroom to head to his room.

Enjolras came out of their bedroom after putting Ezra to bed. He left the door open just a tad. He walked into the kitchen to help Grantaire finish up the dinner dishes. Casey peaked his out from the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'm ready for bed."

Enjolras and Grantaire glanced at each other for a few seconds. Casey was going to bed extremely early tonight. In the last few months, they had pushed Casey's bedtime back from 8 to 8:30. It was only 7:15 P.M. Usually after his shower, Casey would stay up to play a little bit. Enjolras shrugged. Grantaire looked back as Casey.

"Okay, we'll be there in a minute."

After they finished up the dishes, they walked into Casey's room. He had the bedtime story ready. Enjolras laid down next to him and started ready the story to him. Casey was already reading children's chapter books, but at night he still wanted his parents to read him a story before he fell asleep. Once the story was over, they tucked him in. Grantaire was just about to start singing the lullaby when Casey turned to him.

"No lullaby. I'm tired." Casey told his parents.

Grantaire glanced at Enjolras, who shrugged, again. "Okay. We'll see you in the morning. We love you."

"I love you, too."

***

Later that evening around 11, the boyfriends were sitting in bed, reading. Grantaire had been stuck on the same page for 10 minutes because his mind was stuck on Casey's behavior.

"Babe?" Grantaire said.

"Hmm." Enjolras replied, focused on his book.

"Have you noticed anything wrong with Casey lately? He hardly touched his dinner. He didn't want the lullaby. Something's wrong." Grantaire said.

"Something at school maybe?" Enjolras suggested.

"No, Mr. Ellington is very good at watching Casey and emailing weekly progress reports with updates on how he's getting on with the kids in his class and everything else regarding school. It has to be something else." Grantaire said.

"Something to do with Ezra?" Enjolras suggested again.

"I don’t think that is it either. He's always been protective of Ezra, even when I was still pregnant with him. Plus, you saw how excited he was too see his little brother when you two came home today." Grantaire reminded his boyfriend.

Enjolras could tell that Grantaire was really bothered by Casey's behavior. "Love, listen to me, if Casey has a problem, he'll come to us, you know that."

"I know. I'm just worried. He's never acted like this before."

Enjolras didn't say anything. He just pulled Grantaire closer and kissed his forehead. "It'll be okay."

***

Things continued like this for another week until one afternoon, Grantaire got a call from the principal of Casey's school, telling him that Casey got into a fight. Grantaire had sighed and said that he'd be right down. He packed up Ezra into the car seat as he called Enjolras. Enjolras was at school, too, but in the last few months, he has always picked up when Grantaire called him. Probably a habit from when Grantaire would call when he was pregnant with Ezra, and when he would call Enjolras, it would send his boyfriend into a panic that he was in labor.

_"What's up, love?"_

"Casey got into a fight during recess today. I'm heading down to make sure everything is alright." Grantaire got his jacket on and finished bundling up Ezra.

 _"Do you want me to come with?"_ Enjolras asked.

"No, I'll take care of it. I just thought you should know because we'll need to talk about it when you get home."

_"Of course. Alright, well, I'll have my phone on me if you change your mind. I love you."_

"I love you, too." Grantaire said. He made a kissing noise into the phone and when he heard one back, he hung up.

Grantaire got Ezra into the car and headed down to Casey's school. He walked down to the principal's office. Grantaire saw Casey outside the office, sitting on one of the chairs. His clothes, face, and hair were dirty from rolling around on the ground. Casey looked like he had been crying and didn't even look at Grantaire while he walked by. The secretary led him into the office of Principal Fantine.

Principal Fantine smiled a kind smile when she saw him. "Thank you so much for coming down on short notice, Grantaire."

Grantaire set the car seat down before sitting down himself. "So, what happened? It's not like Casey to get in fights."

"From what I understood from Mr. Ellington. The students were out on the playground during recess when he saw a couple of kids walk up to Casey and start teasing him. Mr. Ellington is not sure what they were teasing him about, he was too far away to hear. He continued watching them until Casey tackled the boy to the ground and they started fighting. He broke it up, but Casey had been able to throw a punch, giving the boy a bloody nose." Fantine explained.

Grantaire sighed, heavily. _What had gotten into Casey for the last week?_ This wasn't like him.

"Look, Grantaire, Casey is a good kid and nothing like has ever happened before with him. Do you know of anything that could have triggered this? Any big changes to the household?" Fantine asked.

"Well, I mean, he gained a little brother in Ezra. But I don't think Ezra would have something to do with since Casey loves having a little brother and is very protective of him." Grantaire said.

Fantine sighed. It was clear to Grantaire that she had a theory of what was going on, but she wasn't going to voice it. "I see."

"What punishment was given?" Grantaire asked.

"All I gave him was that he needed to apologize to the boy. Casey has always been a good kid and I didn't see the need for a more severe punishment, but I must warn you, Grantaire. If it does happen again, I will have no choice, but to make it where Casey goes without recess and will eat his lunch in here for at least a week." Fantine said.

"Of course. His dad and I will talk to him about it tonight." Grantaire said. "Would it be alright if I take him home?"

"Yes, of course." Fantine said. "I had Mr. Ellington bring his backpack with all of his homework for I figured that you would want to." Fantine handed Grantaire the small green backpack.

"Thank you." Grantaire took it and stood up. He grabbed Ezra and walked out of the office. He walked to Casey. "We're going home, Casey."

Casey followed after his father. They got to the car and Casey got in. Grantaire put the car seat in the vehicle and placed his son's backpack next to his feet. Then, Grantaire got in the driver's seat. When he stopped at a stop light, Grantaire glanced back at Casey, who hadn't said a word and was staring out the window. Grantaire sighed.

When they got home, Casey threw the backpack next to the wall and threw his jacket to the ground before running to his bedroom and slammed the door.

"Casey!" Grantaire called after him as he took off his own jacket. He got Ezra out of the car seat. "I think something is going on with your big brother, don't you think, peanut?" He said to the three month old. Ezra smiled.

Grantaire had just put Ezra down for his second nap of the day when Enjolras came into the apartment, quietly. Grantaire was trying to find something for dinner when Enjolras walked in to the kitchen to greet his boyfriend with a kiss.

"So, what happened with Casey?" Enjolras asked.

Grantaire sighed and gave his boyfriend the lowdown on what happened at school. "We got home and he ran into his room. He's been there ever since. I wanted to wait for you before I talked to him."

Enjolras reached for Grantaire's hand and they walked to Casey's bedroom. He knocked on the door. "Buddy, can Papa and I talk to you for a second?" They heard sniffles before a small yes was heard.

Enjolras opened the door and when they walked in they saw that Casey was staring at the wall, Bear was in his hands, and was wrapped in the blanket that Enjolras had given him for Christmas two years ago. Oreo was lying next to him. They sat down on the bed.

"Little bug, what happened in school today? Why were you fighting? That isn't like you." Grantaire said. Casey didn't say anything. The parents exchanged a glance.

"Casey, you can talk to Papa and I about anything, you know that. What's wrong?" Enjolras asked.

Casey started crying again before sitting up. "I didn't mean to fight. It just happened. The boy was being mean about Ezra." Casey hid his face in the blanket.

"Oh, little bug." Grantaire placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "You were being protective of your little brother, we understand that, but that doesn't give you an excuse to punch the boy and give him a bloody nose."

"I know, Papa. I didn't mean to." Casey cried harder.

That's when the parents knew what that they had known for a week. Something else was going on.

"Little bug, what's wrong? Why have you been so upset this last week? Is it Ezra?" Casey shook his head.

"Us?" Enjolras asked. Casey looked at his parents and nodded. "What did we do, buddy? Tell us."

Casey looked at Enjolras, then at Grantaire before starting his explanation. "I just feel that I'm forgotten because of Ezra. All of your attention has been on him and I feel like I'm being left out." Casey started crying again. Enjolras pulled Casey into his arms.

"Oh, buddy, we're sorry. We didn't realize." Enjolras kissed his hair.

"It's just that Ezra needs a lot of our attention, right now."

Casey pulled out of Enjolras's arms. "I know that. But you promised that I would be able to help with him, but I haven't. And I feel that you love him more than me." He fell back into Enjolras' arms.

Enjolras and Grantaire exchanged a sad, guilty glance.

"Little bug, no. We love you both equally." Grantaire told his son, rubbing his back. "We're so sorry that we haven't been giving you the attention that we should have been, and we're also sorry that we haven't been letting you help."

"We promise to try and do better, but you'll need to be patient with us. We've never had an eight-year old and a three month-old before, we're still trying to get the hang of it." Enjolras told Casey.

"And Ezra is still very young. He needs a lot of attention from us, right now, but just because we don't give you the same amount of attention that doesn't mean that we don't love you, okay?" Grantaire said. "We love you, so much, little bug. You and Ezra are our entire world."

"And we'll do better in letting you help with him, okay?"

"How about we start with you helping me cook dinner, alright, little bug?" Grantaire asked with a smile. Casey returned the smile and nodded, enthusiastically. "But before we do that, we need your promise that there will be no more fighting."

"I promise."

"And you will apologize to the boy tomorrow." Grantaire said.

"Yes, Papa."

"That's my boy." Grantaire wiped away a stray tear from Casey's face. "Now, let's go get dinner started."

Casey hopped off the bed and waited for his parents at the door. Enjolras pressed a kiss to Grantaire's forehead.

"It's alright, love." Enjolras whispered to him. "He's alright. It's all going to be fine." Grantaire nodded before following after Casey.

By the time, Casey went to bed that night, he was back to being his normal self. That night the parents also talked about how when one of them is with Ezra, the other one is with Casey and vice versa, giving both of their sons the same amount of attention. Enjolras knew that it would take Grantaire a little while to stop feeling guilty for the way that they made Casey feel, but he hoped that it would eventually fade.

In the meantime, Enjolras turned his attention to something else. Coming up with a plan on how to ask Grantaire the question that he had wanted to ask ever since they had shared a vanilla milkshake at The Palace on their first date.

Asking Grantaire to marry him.


	32. Thirty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own.

_May 15 th, 2017_

Grantaire walked into the art gallery to start his shift. Only for one of the workers to tell him to head to the boss' office. Grantaire knocked on the office door. His boss, Mr. Landry, gave the okay for him to come in.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Grantaire poked his head around the door.

"Yes, Grantaire, I did. Please come in and have a seat." Mr. Landry replied.

Grantaire walked in, closed the door, and took a seat across from Mr. Landry.

"Grantaire, you are aware of the opportunity that we have received to open a gallery in the city, am I correct?" Mr. Landry asked.

"Yes, sir, I am." Grantaire said, getting slightly nervous.

Mr. Landry smiled. "Good because I want to offer you the job of art director at the gallery in the city."

"Are you serious?" Grantaire asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, I am." Mr. Landry said with a serious expression.

Grantaire looked at him speechless. "But surely there are other employees more suitable for the job.

Mr. Landry shook his head. "No. Grantaire, _you_ are my best employee. I want you for the job."

Grantaire was shocked, but so happy at the same time until he remembered what moving back to the city would mean. The chance of his parents finding out that he was back and of course, he would have to tell Enjolras about Casey. But how could he say no? This was the job of a lifetime. Mr. Landry always paid his employees well, and he was sure that this would be no exception.

He looked at Mr. Landry and sighed. "Um…sir, it's a lot to consider. I mean, it's just not me this change would affect, but my son as well." Mr. Landry nodded. "Would it be alright if I took a few days to think on it?"

"Of course. Let me know by the end of the week if you want it or not." Landry said.

"Yes, sir." Grantaire told his boss. "Are we good?"

"Yes, you can head back to work now."

Grantaire left the office thinking about decision that he needed to make.

***

When he got home from work that day, Casey was waiting by the door for him.

"Papa!" Casey said, hugging him.

"Hi, little bug." Grantaire picked him up and set him on his hip. "How is my favorite person in the world today?"

"Good. I helped Grandma Clara make chocolate chip cookies today." Clara said.

"Did you now? How many have you eaten?" Grantaire asked. His voice light and playful. Casey shyly held up three fingers. "Three!" Grantaire exclaimed. "Well, no more cookies for you today." Grantaire started to tickle his son's stomach. Casey squirmed in his arms.

"Papa, put me down!" Casey squealed.

Grantaire stopped tickling him. He pressed a kiss to his cheek before setting him down on the ground.

"Little bug, where's Grandma and Auntie?" Grantaire asked.

Casey pointed down the hallway toward the living room. Grantaire nodded before taking Casey's hand and walking with him to the living room. Casey went off to play while Grantaire sat down on the floor. He wasn't even in the room for five seconds before Aimee could tell that something was wrong.

"Alright, what's wrong?" Aimee set down her book. Clara set down her knitting.

Grantaire glanced over at Casey, but he was too involved with his train set. He looked to his grandmother and aunt. "Mr. Landry offered me to job today as art director."

"That's great, 'Aire!" Clara exclaimed.

"Yeah, congratulations!" Aimee congratulated.

"But it's in the city." Grantaire started. "With the gallery that he's opening there."

Clara and Aimee exchanged a glance. "Well, did you take it?"

"I told him I would think on it. It's a lot to consider."

Aimee sighed. "What is there to consider?"

Grantaire looked at his aunt, exasperated. "Oh, I don't know. My parents coming back and taking Casey from me." He said in a low voice.

"You know we wouldn't let that happen." Clara said.

"Then, there's Enjolras." Grantaire said. Clara sighed. "Look, I know what you're going to say, I do."

"Well, then, you should know what my advice is going to be." Clara said. "Take the job. It's time for Enjolras to know that he has a son. And as for your parents, they are getting that boy over my dead body."

Grantaire nodded. "Fine. But who will watch Casey while I'm at work?"

"We will."

"I can't ask you to leave Syosset."

"You're not. We're offering." Clara told him.

Grantaire looked at his grandma and aunt. "So, I guess we're moving to the city."

His grandmother and aunt cheered, but Grantaire couldn't escape the pit of absolute dread in his stomach.

***

**_June 2020_ **

After a month and a half of trying to come up with the perfect plan, it was finally time for Enjolras to ask Grantaire to marry him. He had had Casey's help in coming up with the location after he told him what he was going to do. Casey had told him that the only place was at The Palace, and Enjolras knew that he was correct.

Enjolras had gone to talk to Loretta, asking her if he could buy out the place for just one night. When Loretta asked why, Enjolras had told with a proud smile that he was going to ask Grantaire to marry him. She had agreed vigorously after that.

And that was how they found themselves, getting ready for a date. Grantaire had no idea what was coming as he stood next to the sink in their bathroom as he finished tying the tie around his neck. Enjolras was standing in the doorway. He had checked his pocket almost six times to make sure that the small velvet box was still there.

"I don't understand why we have to go out tonight." Grantaire finished tying the tie.

"Because we never go out, that's why." Enjolras told him with a smile.

After they finished getting ready, they checked to see if Casey was ready for a night at Grandma Clara's. Grantaire got Ezra ready to go. As Grantaire put Ezra in the car seat, Enjolras exchanged a small knowing smile with Casey.

Ever since Casey found out that Enjolras was going to propose, he had constantly been asking when he would ask Grantaire. He had been thrilled when Enjolras had told him that night. It was the reason why he agreed to go to Clara's with no fight. Granted, it was better for both of the children to not be in the apartment that night because Enjolras had every intention of taking Grantaire out of his suit, piece by piece, and completely take him apart until he was putty in Enjolras' hands.

Grantaire finished putting Ezra in the car seat. Casey grabbed his bag and the diaper bag, and the family were off to Clara's.

***

After they dropped off their sons, Enjolras took Grantaire by the hand and led him to the car to drive them to The Palace. Enjolras' parked the car once they arrived, Grantaire looked at him unimpressed.

"You made me put on this suit only for us to have dinner here? Really?"

Enjolras only shrugged before getting out and walking around to Grantaire's side. He held out his hand after opening the door. "Monsieur."

Grantaire eyed the hand, suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Just take my damn hand."

Grantaire held up his hands in surrender and took his boyfriend's hand. They walked to The Palace, but before they walked inside, Enjolras turned to him to say, "Close your eyes." Grantaire did as he was told before Enjolras opened the door and pulled him inside. Enjolras placed him where he wanted him, then said. "Open them."

Grantaire opened his eyes, letting out a soft gasp. The Palace had been transformed completely. There were rose petals everywhere. The place was only lit by candles that were placed strategically around the room. Finally, his gaze landed on the table that had been set for two with candles burning and rose petals sprinkles on it.

Grantaire turned to Enjolras. "I'll ask again. What is going on?"

"You'll see." Enjolras led him to the table.

Grantaire saw that there was champagne on ice as he walked closer. Enjolras pulled out his chair for him before sitting across from him. Grantaire decided than to stop asking questions and just enjoy this evening. Enjolras poured them both a glass of champagne. They were staring at each other when all of a sudden Loretta appeared from the kitchen. A tray in her hand.

"Good evening. My name's Loretta, and I'll be your server this evening." She said, placing their beginning salads in front of them.

Grantaire looked at the salad, but he knew that it wasn't on the menu. But before he could ask Loretta, she had disappeared.

"Did you have her cook a special meal just for us?" Grantaire asked.

"I did." Enjolras poured the dressing on his salad and started eating. Grantaire than followed.

After their salads came the main dish of creamy chicken Marsala with pasta, which Grantaire learned Loretta had cooked from Isabelle's recipe. The main dish was followed by a brownie baked in the shape of a heart with chocolate sauce drizzled on top with ice cream on this side.

They sat there sipping their champagne after finishing their dinner and dessert. Grantaire could see hearts in Enjolras' eyes as he stared at him.

"Babe, spill. What is going on?"

Enjolras smiled as affectionate smile. "Love, push your chair out and angle it out a little." Grantaire did as was asked. "A little more." Grantaire did. "Perfect." He stood up.

Grantaire watched his boyfriend. He looked nervous. The last time he had seen his boyfriend this nervous, he was giving birth to Ezra. This must serious.

"Grantaire, I have loved you from the first moment that I saw you in your green beanie, dark blue skinny jeans paired with a heather gray t-shirt and unbuttoned green flannel glory. I knew in that moment that I would spend the rest of my life with you. I loved you for three and half years during high school. You were my first kiss, first date, first time making love. You were every single one of my firsts. But then, you broke my heart by leaving me with no explanation for six years. However, during those six years, I continued to love you with every part of me and I knew deep in my heart that you would return. And now, I have loved you for the last two and half years, and I fall more in love with you and our two adorable sons every single day." Enjolras had made his way around the table. "On your seventeenth birthday, I gave you a locket with the promise that I would love you forever, and now today." Enjolras pulled something from his pocket and got down on one knee. Grantaire smiled through the tears that were pouring down his cheeks. "I ask you, Nicolas Grantaire, if you would allow me to stand by that promise for the rest of our lives by giving me the incredible honor of becoming your husband?" He opened the velvet box, showing the ring to Grantaire.

But Grantaire didn't see the ring, he only saw Enjolras. Grantaire nodded. "Yes. Nothing would make me happier." Enjolras took the ring out of the box and slipped it on Grantaire's finger. Enjolras pulled Grantaire to his feet and kissed him, passionately and frantically. The salt of their tears mixed together. "Yes. A million times yes." Grantaire said against his mouth. They kissed again. "Yes."

Enjolras smiled brightly as he pressed their forehead together. "I love you, Nicolas Grantaire, so much."

Grantaire cupped his face and pressed a kiss to his lips again. "And I love you, Julien Enjolras."

Enjolras hugged him tightly, his face buried in Grantaire's neck and vice versa. They soon pulled away and rested their foreheads together.

Grantaire lifted up his hands to cup Enjolras' face. The ring on his finger was cool against Enjolras' cheeks. "Babe, take me home."

Enjolras nodded, pressing a small kiss to the tip of his nose. They bid their farewells to Loretta with Enjolras promising to come by tomorrow to clean the restaurant up. She nodded before telling them to not worry about it and get out of there for the rest of the night.

In their haste to get home, it was a miracle that they didn't get into a car accident. And soon, Grantaire was pressed up against a wall in their apartment. His legs wrapped around Enjolras' waist as they frantically made out against the wall. Enjolras had removed the tie and suit jacket already. He had ripped Grantaire's shirt open causing buttons to fly everywhere and pushed it off his shoulder. His plan of slowly divesting Grantaire of his clothes flying out the window. Grantaire had, in turn, done the same with Enjolras' clothing. Enjolras was currently kissing down Grantaire's neck, leaving bite marks all over it.

"Babe, bedroom. I'm not having sex with you against the wall. I don't want to explain to Casey what the weird stains are." Grantaire murmured.

Enjolras set Grantaire back on the floor, taking his hand, and leading him to their bedroom.

***

Afterward, as they laid in bed, still coming down from the high and sweat drying on their bodies, Grantaire cuddled into Enjolras. They laid there admiring the ring.

"What are the stones? I mean, obviously one is a diamond, but what are the others?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras smiled before kissing his fiancé's still sweaty curls. "Well, that one is the February birthstone for Casey." Pointing out the amethyst. "Then, January for Ezra." Pointing out the garnet. "Then, finally, October for me." Pointing to the opal. "And May for you." Pointing to the emerald.

Grantaire had tears in his eyes again. Enjolras had gotten theirs and theirs sons' birthstones embedded in his engagement ring, next to the small 1.00 carat diamond that was also embedded in the gold band. "I love it."

"I'm glad." He felt a kiss being pressed to his temple.

"Now, we start planning a wedding."

"Yep, we do."

They started kissing again and soon Enjolras was rolling over his fiancé to once again give him a night to remember.

***

The days that followed, the couple started to plan their wedding after announcing their engagement to their friends and family. They had agreed on an autumn wedding in early October of that year. Autumn was both their favorite season, so it was perfect. It was also discussed that Ezra would be the ring bearer and Casey would be junior best man for both of them. They also planned on the wedding being small and intimate with just their friends and family.

But right now, they were in process of trying to find a venue that would work. Isabelle and Gabriel had offered to let them have the house in the Hamptons, but for the couple that was last resort. They had called all of the venues that they could think of, but none had any openings for the time of their wedding.

Currently, they sat in the living room, looking over their list of venues. Grantaire held Ezra on his lap while Casey was coloring on the coffee table.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Enjolras asked, tapping the pen on the notepad in his lap.

Ezra had decided to be fussy that day, so Grantaire was trying to keep him distracted with the stuffed lion named Lion that Casey had given to his little brother after they had brought him home from the hospital. "Not really. Who knew planning a wedding would be this difficult?"

"There has to be something." Enjolras said, looking at the notepad.

But before any of them could say another word, there was a knock on the door.

Grantaire handed Ezra to Enjolras. "We'll come up with something, baby. Don't worry."

He walked to the door with a smile on his face, but as soon as he opened the door, the smile faded and all he felt was a cold, icy terror and a surge of protectiveness for his two children.

"What are you doing here?" Grantaire asked.

"Hello, Renée." The chilling voice of his father said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun!
> 
> Come back on Monday for the final two chapters and the epilogue!


	33. Thirty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own!

_June 27 th, 2017_

After Grantaire had told Mr. Landry that he would take the job in the city, the first thing he did was ask Clara if she could find out if his parents were still gone from the city and if Enjolras was still there. Clara had agreed and after a few days had told him that yes, his parents were still gone from the city and Enjolras was still there. Grantaire hadn't said anything after hearing her news, and instead he had just gone back to searching for an apartment for him and Casey. Clara and Aimee had already gotten theirs, but nothing Grantaire found was right.

A week later, Grantaire had eventually found his and Casey's apartment. It was in Chelsea, and it was perfect. It had three bedrooms and came with two full bathrooms. Grantaire was worried about being able to afford it, but Clara told him to not worry about it.

They had started packing almost right after that. Some boxes were going with, others were going into storage, and some would stay in the house in Syosset. Clara wasn't going to sell the house. Instead, she was just going to make sure that it was locked up tight and that the security system was on, and that if it was needed the police would come by to make sure the house was fine.

As they packed up the kitchen and Casey colored at the table, the aunt and grandmother noticed how quiet Grantaire had become. He had been ever since Clara told him that his parents weren't in the city, but Enjolras still was. Clara made a gestured to Aimee, who nodded. Aimee stopped packing for a little while and turned to Casey.

"Hey, Case, you want to come with me for a second? Auntie needs your help with something." Aimee asked. Casey nodded. He set down his crayons and went with his aunt.

Clara turned to Grantaire, who watched as his son was taken out of the room. "Alright, 'Aire, what's going on? You've been really quiet lately."

"Nothing." Grantaire continued to pack.

"Come on, 'Aire. It's me."

Grantaire looked at his grandma with her soft and kind smile. He sighed. "I'm scared. I'm scared of going back home. I'm scared that my parents will find me and take Casey away. I'm scared of Enjolras' reaction when he finds out why I left and that we have a son. I know that he needs to know, and I'm going to tell him. I just…" He trailed off.

"I know. All of that is 100% valid. But one, as I've said a million times, if your parents even think about taking my great-grandson, they will have one hell of a fight. As for Enjolras, he loves you, 'Aire. Yes, he'll be angry with you, but I'm sure with time, he'll understand why you did what you did. Apart from me and Aimee, he is the one person who truly knows and understands how your parents treated you."

"But that doesn't make it okay, Grandma." Grantaire said. "I should have gone back home as soon as I knew my parents had left New York, but I just…"

"Yes, you should have, but here's the thing. You were protecting Casey by staying away. You thought that if you went back, your parents would return, too. And I know, you have that fear now, but like I keep saying, we are NOT going to let anything happen to him, okay?" Clara said, reaching for Grantaire's hand. "You will tell Enjolras about Casey and they will get to know each other. And everything will be just fine, I promise." She kissed Grantaire's forehead.

Grantaire nodded with a small smile. Clara could tell that it was a forced smile, but it was better than nothing. She knew that nothing would waver her grandson's fears, but she felt in her got that everything was going to be alright. Eventually.

***

**_June 2020_ **

Grantaire stood there staring at his father. The terror had started to wear off, as had the shock. All that remained was the feeling of protectiveness for his children. His father would not get within five feet of both of them.

"What are you doing here?" Grantaire asked, hand tight on the doorknob.

"Can't I just come and see you, Renée?" Augustin said.

Grantaire's grip on the knob was so tight that he was sure his knuckles were white. "First, my name is NOT Renée. Second, no you cannot just "come and see me". And third, how did you find me?"

"Well, you'd be amazed what a man like me can find out. As for why I'm here, I'm here to see my two beautiful grandchildren." Augustin stepped forward.

Grantaire blocked his way. "Well, you can't."

"You can't stop me."

"Yes, I can. I'm their father."

Just then, Grantaire heard Enjolras call. "Love, who's at the door?"

"Don't worry about it. Just stay there." Grantaire called back. He turned back to his father.

Augustin was smiling. "Of course, you'd be with him."

"Who else would I be with?" Grantaire asked. "He's the love of my life."

Augustin just shrugged. "I see."

Grantaire looked at his father. "Dad, what are you doing here? Because I can tell you now that you're not welcome here. You don't control me anymore. I control me. I have made a life for myself. A life you will never be part of and don't even try to be. You will not be taking mine and Enjolras' children. As far as I am concerned, you can stay the hell away from me. So, I'll ask again, what are you doing here?"

"No reason." And with that Augustin just turned and left.

Grantaire stared after his father. Something telling him that this would not be the last time that they saw him. He shut the door and leaned against to take a deep breath before walking back into the living room. Enjolras looked up concerned, but Grantaire simply shook his head.

Grantaire sat back down, taking Ezra out of Enjolras' arms. "So, where were we? Still trying to find a venue?"

"Yes." Enjolras said. "And while you were answering the door, I thought what about this." Enjolras turned his computer screen to Grantaire. On the screen, it was the page for the Ink48 Hotel. "It's small and intimate, and can hold up to 75 guests, which is more than we planned to invite, but it will work. Plus, it's available for our wedding date."

Enjolras flipped through the pictures of the hotel and Grantaire nodded. "It's perfect."

"Good. I'll call up and set up a meeting time to look at the place." Enjolras said.

"Great." Grantaire turned back to Ezra, but Enjolras could clearly see that he was distracted.

***

Later that night, after the boys were in bed, Enjolras asked Grantaire again who had been at the door.

Grantaire looked at his fiancé. "My father."

Enjolras' eyes widened. "Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you."

"Didn't want me to worry? Well, I sure as hell am worrying. 'Taire, this man threatened to take Casey away from us."

"I know. I got rid of him, but I'm sure that we will see him again. He won't lay a hand on either of them." Grantaire said. He walked to Enjolras, cupped his face and kissed him. "Babe, listen to me, if Augustin even thinks of laying a hand on either of them, he will have a war on his hands."

Enjolras kissed Grantaire again, then wrapped his arms, tightly, around his fiancé.

***

Two days later, they brought their children with them when they went to go check out Ink48. They met up with the manager of the hotel, who gave them the tour. Ezra was in the stroller while Casey walked next to them.

"How many guests are we expecting?" The manager, Lily, asked.

The couple glanced at each other. Enjolras spoke up. "We haven't sent out invites, yet. We wanted to wait until we had our venue. However, we have a guest list of about 60, but we are expecting that only about half will actually attend."

Lily made note. "I see. Do you have a theme?"

Grantaire smiled. "Autumn. It's our favorite season. Hence, why we are getting married in October, as well."

"Alright, so autumn colors and decorations?" Lily asked to which they nodded. "And I take it, these two handsome men are part of the wedding party?" She gestured to the boys. The couple smiled again. "Speaking of the wedding party, how many are on each side?"

"While my best man, his best man, and our kids. That's about it." Grantaire said.

"And their names?" Lily asked.

"Um…my best man is my father, Gabriel. It was the easiest choice to avoid arguments with my friends."

"And mine is actually a maid of honor in the form of my aunt, Aimee." Grantaire said. "Casey is the junior best man for both of us, but he'll be standing next to Gabriel, and Ezra is the ring bearer, but will be sitting with his Grandma Clara after walking the aisle."

"Sounds like a plan." Lily said. "Shall I give the rest of the tour?"

The family nodded, and the tour started again. Lily asking them more questions as they walked around the hotel. Finally, they were finished with the tour. She walked them to the front desk.

"So, are we booking?" Lily asked. They nodded. "Great. Let's take care of that."

They quickly booked the venue and paid the deposit before leaving the place.

"Daddy, Papa, can we go for lunch?" Casey asked. The parents glanced at each other before agreeing.

***

They went to eat at one of New York's many pizza places. The family ordered a large pepperoni pizza while Grantaire fed Ezra a bottle. But when they got off the elevator on the way back to their apartment, Grantaire froze when he saw his parents standing at the door. He quickly turned around.

"Get back on the elevator and go down to the lobby. Take them out for ice cream." Grantaire said. "I'll let you know when it's clear to come back."

Enjolras went to investigate what had sent his fiancé into a frenzy. When he saw Grantaire's parents, he nodded. "Come on, guys." Enjolras took the stroller from Grantaire, as he, Casey, and Ezra all got back on the elevator.

Grantaire walked toward the door of his apartment. "Can I help you?"

Augustin and his mother, Jacqueline, looked in his direction.

"Hello." Jacqueline said.

Grantaire crossed his arms. "What are you doing here? I thought I made myself quite clear."

His parents didn't say anything, but Jacqueline did step forward.

"We just wanted to see you before we left the city again." His mother said.

"Why?" Grantaire asked.

"We just wanted to see if there's a chance that we could see our grandchildren?" Jacqueline asked.

"So, you can take them away from me and Enjolras? Yeah, that's never going to happen."

"Look, Renée-"

"Nicolas. Nicolas. My name is Nicolas." Grantaire told his parents with a glare.

Jacqueline sighed. "Nicolas, we're sorry for what we did."

"You're sorry?! Every day of my life from the moment I started to realize that I was trans, you spent telling me that I was worthless, unworthy, stupid, oh and my personal favorite, tranny. But of course, that's not even a fraction of the abuse that you put me through. And even today, you still call me by my dead name. Then, there's the fact that you threatened to take away my child. My child! I was so scared that you would succeed that I caused Enjolras to miss out on five years of his son's life. Five years that he'll never get back!" Grantaire bellowed. "If you think that you'll be forgiven for that, you are sadly mistaken."

"Nicolas." Jacqueline said.

"No. Never will I forgive you for that." Grantaire said. "I don't want you in my life anymore. You have no place in my life, or the lives of my two sons. You may have been the people that gave me life, but you're not my family. So, you guys can leave New York, and if you ever come back, never contact me again. You can leave now."

Augustin and Jacqueline stared at him, but didn't say anything. Grantaire stared at them in return. Eventually, his parents broke it.

"Fine. If that's what you want." Augustin said.

"It is." Grantaire said, sharply.

They nodded as they walked down the hallway to the elevator and disappeared from Grantaire's life forever. Grantaire sighed as he took out his phone and texted his fiancé.

**_Grantaire (2:19 P.M.): What ice cream parlor are you at? I could use some._ **

Two minutes later, Enjolras sent him a text with their location. Grantaire smiled and left the apartment building to head to the ice cream parlor.

Grantaire walked in to the ice cream parlor, but he stopped as he made his way to the table where they were sitting. Enjolras was helping Casey wipe his face of ice cream. Both of them were laughing. Grantaire could see that Ezra was smiling at the laughter. His heart warmed at the sight.

 _Yeah, this is my family. The family that I love with all my heart._ Grantaire thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ink48 is a real place in NYC.
> 
> And we have the final chapter coming up in a few seconds. The family is almost complete, can anyone guess what's missing before reading the final chapter


	34. Thirty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! And no flashback in this one.
> 
> Disclaimer: Still don't own!

**_September 2020_ **

It was September and they were about two weeks out from their wedding. However, there was one last thing that they needed to do before their wedding day.

Enjolras and Grantaire had decided that it was time to get Casey his puppy. They were nervous about how Oreo would react to a dog in the house, but they would figure it out. So, one day after picking up Casey from school, they asked him to close his eyes as they made their way to the shelter.

When they pulled up to the shelter, Enjolras turned in his seat and told Casey to open his eyes.

"What's going on?" He looked out the window and saw the words "animal shelter". He looked at his parents. "What?"

"All you've ever wanted is a puppy, so we're going to get you a puppy." Grantaire explained.

"Are you serious?" Casey asked.

"Yes." The parents said in unison.

They all got out of the car, but had to wait for Grantaire to grab Ezra. Then, the parents followed Casey as he ran into the shelter. Enjolras held the door open for Grantaire as Casey walked up to the desk.

"I'm here to adopt a puppy!" He said, excitedly to the girl behind the counter.

The girl named Kate, looked at the parents behind him. They nodded. "Alright, let's go take a look at the puppies." She grabbed the keys and led the family to the back.

Casey started to frantically search around the cages while Enjolras and Grantaire walked around the cages, following Casey. Kate walked behind them.

"So, how old is he?" Kate questioned, regarding Casey.

"He's eight, but will be nine in February." Enjolras said

"I see. And what about this little one?" Kate asked, pointing to Ezra in Grantaire's arms, who was sucking his thumb.

"He's nine months." Grantaire replied, pressing a kiss to Ezra' cheek.

They continued to follow Casey as he looked for his dog. Kate was curious about the family, but thought it best to not ask questions. Then, all of a sudden there was an excited squeal.

"Daddy, Papa, I found her!" Casey cried.

They walked to the cage that Casey was standing in front of where there was a one year-old female golden retriever inside of it.

"I thought you wanted a Newfoundland?" Grantaire asked.

"I did, until I saw this little beauty."

Enjolras and Grantaire looked at each other and nodded. Grantaire turned back to Casey. "Alright, so this is Nana? You're sure?"

"Yes, this is Nana."

Ezra started making grabby hands toward the puppy in a cage. The puppy started barking, happily.

Enjolras turned to Kate with a smile. "We'll take her."

"Okay. I'll get the paperwork." Kate said.

Kate left to go get the paperwork, Casey sat in front of the door of the cage and put his finger through the wire and did his best to pet the puppy. Ezra was squirming in Grantaire's arms to do the same, but Grantaire wasn't going to let him down.

"You'll get to see the puppy, peanut, but you need to stay here." Grantaire said to Ezra.

Kate came back with the paperwork and everything was handled in 20 minutes. Then, the family was walking out of the shelter with a golden retriever on a leash. When they got to the car, Grantaire put Ezra in the car seat again while Enjolras turned to Casey.

"Remember, bud, Nana is your responsibility. Papa and I will help as much as we can, but she's your dog." Enjolras reminded him.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Alright."

Casey helped Nana jump into the car. Once again, Ezra made grabby hands toward the puppy, and while Casey held Nana, he helped his little brother pet the puppy. Grantaire and Enjolras looked at each other, Enjolras reached for Grantaire's hand and brought it up to his mouth to kiss the back.

***

Later, Enjolras stayed home with Ezra while Grantaire and Casey went to the pet store to get everything that they needed for Nana. It was within walking distance, so they took Nana with them.

"I know that Daddy already reminded you of this, but Nana is your responsibility. You have to train her, walk her, and make sure that she had food and water, etcetera. We will help, but most of it is on you." Grantaire said as they walked home after their errand.

"Yes, Papa."

"Also, golden retrievers need a lot of exercise, so you will need to either take her on walks or take her to the dog park that's not that far from here."

Casey nodded. "Okay. When we get home, I'm going to read up on them, so I know everything that I can."

"That's my boy." Grantaire ruffling the curls on his eldest son's head.

***

That night, after both boys were asleep, Enjolras and Grantaire were heading to bed. They poked their head into Casey's room and saw that Nana was laying at the foot of Casey's bed, sleeping. Casey was sound asleep with Bear tucked under his arm. They looked at each other and smiled.

When they went to bed, they found Oreo in the bedroom, lying on the bed.

"Does someone not like Nana?" Enjolras went to go pick up Oreo, who meowed. Grantaire chuckled. Enjolras looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just here thinking about which one Ezra will love more. Oreo, here?" Grantaire scratched under Oreo's chin. "Or Nana?"

"It better be Oreo, or I will be a very disappointed Daddy." Enjolras said, kissing the top of Oreo's head.

Grantaire chuckled again. "Good luck with that. He already adores Nana."

Enjolras glared at his fiancé. He set Oreo back down on their bed. He walked to Grantaire, and wrapped his arms around him. "Do I have to worry about which one my handsome fiancé prefers?"

"I'm pleading the fifth." Grantaire said, wrapping his arms around Enjolras' neck.

"Why?" Enjolras slightly whined.

Grantaire rolled his eyes. "You are asking me to choose between my son's pet and my fiancé's. Like I said, I'm pleading the fifth."

"Fine." Enjolras said. "In the meantime, no matter how many times I hear it, I will never tire of hearing the word "fiancé" from your lips."

"Well, in less than a month, fiancé changes to husband." Grantaire said with a smile.

Enjolras returned the smile. He pressed his forehead against Grantaire's. "I can't wait. Calling you my husband has been everything that I've wanted from the moment we shared that vanilla milkshake at The Palace on our first date."

Grantaire chuckled before pressing a kiss to Enjolras' mouth. "I love you."

"And I love you. Every day. For forever." Enjolras covered Grantaire's mouth with his again.


	35. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who left kudos, commented, bookmarked, and subscribed to this fic. I'm so glad that so many of you loved it as much as I did.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but the plot, Casey, and Ezra.

_October 3 rd, 2020_

Enjolras was standing in the room that Ink48 had supplied so that he could get ready. His dad, Combeferre, and Courfeyrac were the only other people in there. Casey kept going back and forth between his room and Grantaire's. Ezra was with Grantaire.

Enjolras was currently attempting to tie his bow tie, but his fingers were shaking so badly that he kept screwing it up. Finally, his dad took pity on him and stood up to tie it for him.

"Nervous?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes."

"Cold feet?"

Enjolras shook his head. "No, my feet are toasty warm. Marrying Grantaire is something that I've wanted forever, and I can't believe that it's happening today. I just have nervous butterflies, but I know that they'll disappear the moment that I see him."

Gabriel smiled as he finished tying the bow tie. He turned to Combeferre and Courfeyrac. "Can you guys give us the room for a minute?"

They stood up. "We'll just go see how the other groom is doing." Combeferre said.

Once the door was shut, Gabriel placed his hands on Enjolras' shoulders. "I just want to tell you that your mother and I have been waiting for this day ever since you brought Grantaire home to meet us. That day we could just see in your eyes how much you loved him and how much he loved you. And you two were just 15 then. And now, here you are, 26, on your wedding day with your two beautiful children about to marry the love your life. Jules, I'm so proud of you. So very, very proud of you. And not just you, but Grantaire, as well. He's already been a son to me for the last 12 years, and now, I can't wait to welcome him officially into the family. I love you, Jules."

"I love you, too, Dad." Enjolras said. He hugged his father before he pulled away. "Can I have just a few minutes to myself?"

"Of course. I'll go check on Grantaire and see if Ezra is already to go." Gabriel said.

"Thank you." Enjolras said.

His father left the room, allowing Enjolras a few minutes to breathe and relax.

***

Across the hotel, Grantaire was in his own room, trying to get Ezra dressed in his own mini tux, but it wasn't going very well. He now had Casey's help, and it was going much, much, much better. They finished getting Ezra ready, just as there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Grantaire called.

Gabriel walked in with a smile. "I just came to see if Ezra was ready."

Grantaire picked up Ezra. "He's already."

Gabriel came closer and took his grandson from Grantaire's arms. "Do you want to go and see Daddy?" Ezra clapped excitedly and smiled.

"We'll go see Daddy in a second, but first." Gabriel turned to Grantaire. "I just want to tell you that you've made my son so happy for the last 12 years, and it just makes me so proud to welcome you into this family, officially. We love you and our two grandsons, just as much as we love Julien."

Grantaire looked at Gabriel. "Thank you."

Gabriel pulled him into a hug before pulling away. "Now, it's time to take this little peanut to see his daddy."

Ezra clapped in his hand as Gabriel took him from the room. Casey turned to Grantaire, silently asking if he could go with. Grantaire nodded. Casey then left with Ezra and Gabriel.

Grantaire smiled as he finished getting ready. He had just finishing tying his bow tie. He heard his phone buzz. He walked to it and saw that it was a text from his fiancé that caused him to smile.

 ** _My Handsome Lover (2:58 P.M.): A half hour, love. Just a half hour_**. ** _I love you. ♥♥♥♥_**

**_Grantaire (3:00 P.M.): I love you, too. ♥♥_ **

***

The half hour was up and it was time for their ceremony to start. Clara was giving Grantaire away and Isabelle was giving Enjolras away. Gabriel and Aimee walked in first and took their place. Followed by Casey, carrying Ezra, with the pillow of fake rings since Gabriel had Grantaire's and Aimee had Enjolras'. Casey stood in front of Gabriel, who was holding Ezra until Isabelle came to take him. Ezra was having a good day, so their families and friends were hoping that it stayed that way.

Then, Canon D started to play. Enjolras and Isabelle walked in, followed by Grantaire and Clara. Once they reached the end of aisle, the officiant started the ceremony. The officiant went through the beginning before getting the vows.

"Now, Julien and Nicolas have written their own vows. Nicolas, if you would." The officiant said. The couple turned to each other and grasped hands.

"I love you, Enjolras. I have from the moment that I saw you when we were freshmen. When we fell in love, I knew that we were in for a ride. Everyone thought that we wouldn't last, but we did. And then, for six years, I put us at risk. But now, here we are. On our wedding day. With our families, friends, and two beautiful sons in attendance. And in front of all these people, I promise you that I will love you forever. I will spend every day of my life falling more in love with you. I'm never letting you go. I love you, so much." Grantaire vowed to him.

The officiant gave Enjolras the go ahead.

"My dear 'Taire, from the moment that I fell in love with you, I knew this day was going to come. I knew that one day I would call you my husband. You've brought so much joy and happiness into my life. The love that I have for you, Casey, and Ezra just continues to grow every single day. And today, I promise you that my love is forever, even when we are old and grey. You're never getting rid of me. Until death do us part, I'm yours forever. I love you." Enjolras vowed. They both had tears in their eyes when he finished.

The officiant then stated the "I Do's." He had Grantaire go first. Both of them said the two words with wide grins on their faces.

"Can I have the rings?" The officiant asked of both Gabriel and Aimee. Once he had the rings, he held out his hand so Grantaire could take the appropriate ring. "Nicolas, please place the ring on Julien's left ring finger and repeat after me." Once again as they exchanged rings, they were unable to keep the smiles off their faces. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, husbands. You may now kiss."

They both took a step forward at the same time as their mouths slotted together in their first kiss as a married couple. When they pulled away, their foreheads were pressed together.

"I love you, my husband." Enjolras said.

"Oh, dear husband, not as much as I love you." Grantaire replied.

Enjolras kissed him again. When they pulled away from each other, they walked back down the aisle followed by Casey with Ezra, Gabriel and Aimee, and the rest of their guests. They did a quick receiving line before they headed into the reception hall for dinner. Pictures would be done after their receiving line.

After pictures were taken, it was time for the reception to start. Their dinner menu was chosen by knowing was Casey would eat and the guests had to put down what they would want on their RSVP card. The options were: salad (pasta or Caesar) or soup (baked potato or Wisconsin cheese) for a beginner. Chicken or pork loin for the entrées with mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, or mixed vegetables' on the side. Then, there was strawberry cheesecake or blueberry cheesecake for dessert. There would also be cake later, if the guests so chose to have some. The drink assortment was soda, water, lemonade, champagne, or any other alcoholic drinks of choice. The cake would be served after the toasts.

As they ate, Grantaire had to taken Ezra from Clara because he was refusing to eat anything. Ezra did finally eat with Grantaire, and Isabelle offered to take him for a while. Both Ezra and Casey were going with Isabelle and Gabriel after the reception in order to let Enjolras and Grantaire enjoy their wedding night.

They were almost done eating, Courfeyrac stood up and started to tap his knife gently against his glass. Enjolras and Grantaire looked in his direction and they both rolled their eyes fondly. The DJ handed Courfeyrac a microphone.

"Hello, my name is Courfeyrac, a friend of both the grooms and an awesome uncle to their two children. Um…well, I guess I can say that I knew Enjolras first. We have been friends since grade school. Anyway, for the longest time before we had even met Grantaire, I thought that Enjolras would spend a majority of his life alone. He had never had a crush, not even a case of puppy love. Nothing. But then, here we are on the first day of ninth grade in American Government class and Enjolras turned his head to the back of the room and was lovestruck. Granted, it took him a little while to realize that love was what he had been feeling. Now, Grantaire, on the other hand, it had been obvious what he was feeling from the very beginning. Grantaire joined our friend group, and for five months, it was a merry-go-round of pining until Grantaire came out to Enjolras and the rest was history.

"All of us thought that they wouldn't last. We thought they'd last a maximum of maybe six months. Only or them to prove us wrong when they passed a year, then another year, and then they were celebrating their third anniversary. When we graduated high school, they had been together for three and a half years. But only for everything to come crashing down for six years. Grantaire, I'm speaking directly to you. Please, never leave like that again. This one," Courfeyrac pointed at Enjolras, "is an absolute nightmare when you do." Grantaire saluted Courfeyrac. "Anyway, when Grantaire came back with Casey in tow, it was almost like nothing had changed, except clearly it had since there was now a mini-Enjolras running around, but in the end they worked through it and got back together and they had another son. Now, here we all are, on their wedding day.

"And as I look back on all the doubts that we had, I've never been more happy to say that I was wrong. Their relationship is the second longest one in our friend group at 12 years, and still going strong. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that. Enjolras," He looked at Enjolras, then to Grantaire, "Grantaire, I want to wish you a lifetime of happiness surrounded by the people who love you and care for you. Your love story is one that transcends time. To Enjolras and Grantaire." He raised his glass, as they others echoed him and raised their glasses.

Enjolras kissed Grantaire sweetly as Courfeyrac handed the microphone off to Bahorel. The microphone made its way around the friend group, so they could give their toasts. After their friends, Clara gave one. Isabelle skipped out because she knew that anything that she needed to say had been said by her husband that morning. The microphone made it to the head table to Gabriel, who stood up.

"Alright, well, I'm the father of Enjolras and his best man. However, I've loved Grantaire like a son since the day that Enjolras brought him home to meet me and his mother. Um…most of what I needed to say, I told them before the ceremony. But um…I will say this. There has never been two well-suited people for each other than these two right here." He pointed to the couple. "When you first see them together and notice how different both of them are, you ask yourself, "How do these two work since they are so different?", but then you see how they look at each other and you just know why it does, and it makes even more sense when you see how they parent their children. These two will be together forever that much I know. And I can't wait to watch their relationship grow as they embark on the journey of marriage. And so, like everyone in this room, I wish you all the happiness and love in the world." Gabriel picked up his glass. "To Grantaire and Enjolras."

Enjolras stood up and hugged his father as did Grantaire. Aimee then gave her maid of honor speech, and then the microphone made its way to Enjolras, who stood up, taking Grantaire with him. Their hands staying intertwined.

"Alright, wow, okay." Enjolras started. "Um…first I want to thank you all for coming and celebrating this special day with us. It means the absolute world to the both of us. You've been given little snapshot of our relationship through the many toasts and speeches, but they are nothing compared to the actual rollercoaster ride that it's been. We've had plenty of ups and downs. We were broken apart for six years." Grantaire squeezed his hand, but when Enjolras squeezed back, his husband knew that it was him saying that it didn't matter anymore. "When Grantaire came back after those six years with Casey, I knew that it was going to be an even better journey than what it was before. And it has been. Especially since now, we have not one, but two beautiful sons, and we love each other more than what we did in high school. On our very first date, I knew one day I would be able to call this man my husband, and today and for the rest of our lives, he will be. So, Grantaire," He turned to his husband. "I love you, so much, and I can't wait to continue on this ride with you." He smiled before kissing Grantaire with so much passion the audience cheered.

When they pulled away, Grantaire took the microphone from his husband.

"How am I supposed to follow that? I don’t know." Grantaire said. "Anyway, um, yes, thank you all for coming. Thank you to Aimee and Gabriel for standing with us today. Thank you to all of our friends and family, who have been a great help in watching Ezra for us today." Ezra was sitting in Cosette's lap. He had ended up there after Cosette took him from Isabelle. Casey was sitting next to Cosette being the protector that he was of his little brother. "Um…I guess all I can is that I love my husband." He stopped for a second to think about it. "Wow, I'll never tire of being able to call Enjolras that. My husband." Enjolras rolled his eyes, fondly. "Anyway, like him, I can't wait to see what the journey has in store for us, and I'm excited to go on it with him and our two sons. It's going to be one wild, but beautiful ride." He turned to Enjolras. "I love you." He kissed him again.

The husbands said thank you once again before the mic went back to the DJ, who announced that after the cake cutting, the dance would start.

Enjolras and Grantaire made their way to their two tiered, marble cake with vanilla whipped frosting cake that had not just them, but Casey and Ezra on the top. They both cut a single piece of cake and placed it on a plate. Grantaire placed a piece of cake on a fork and fed it to Enjolras, who then did the same for Grantaire. They kissed again after swallowing the cake.

After they moved away from the cake, the catering staff came and cut it into pieces. The couple didn't want a piece since they'd be getting whatever was left as leftovers. By the time everyone got their cake, it was almost time for the dance to start.

The DJ waited ten minutes after the last piece had been served before saying into the microphone. "And now, it's time for our grooms to share their first dance as a married couple."

Grantaire led Enjolras out onto the dance floor. The DJ set the mood before the music started playing. The song that they had chosen for their first dance was "Safe with Me" by The CO. They wrapped their arms around each other as the song started playing and they started swaying on the dance floor, their foreheads pressed together. Their guests could see them whispering to each other, but they didn't know if it was the lyrics to the song or just them quietly talking.

When the song finished, the dance floor was open to the rest of the guests. During one of the dances, Grantaire was able to convince Casey to dance with him while Enjolras danced with little Ezra before they switched. They had allowed their children to stay up past their bedtime for the sake of it being their wedding.

***

As the night went on, their guests started trickling out and the party started to wind down. Eventually, the only people left in the room were Enjolras, Grantaire, Casey, Ezra, Isabelle, and Gabriel. Isabelle and Gabriel stood off to the side, waiting for the boys to be ready after saying goodbye to their parents.

"Remember to be good for Grandma Belle and Grandpa Gabe." Enjolras reminded, putting his tired, almost 10-month old son in the car seat.

"Yes, Daddy, I know." Casey said, who was standing next to Enjolras.

"You'll help them with Ezra." Enjolras said. Casey nodded with a smile.

"Babe, they will be fine. Need I remind you it's only one night?" Grantaire asked.

Enjolras nodded. "Right."

"Alright, well, you should be off. Don't want to keep Belle and Gabe waiting any longer." Grantaire said. He leaned down to kiss Ezra on the forehead. "I love you." Ezra was sleeping, so he didn't react. Grantaire then turned to Casey. "I love you, little bug."

"I love you, too, Papa." Casey said, hugging Grantaire. Grantaire kissed the top of his forehead.

Enjolras had kissed Ezra's forehead before turning to Casey when Grantaire pulled away. "I love you, buddy."

"I love you, too." Casey said, hugging Enjolras.

Grantaire signaled for Isabelle and Gabriel to come. Isabelle took the car seat while Gabriel took the diaper bag. The overnight bag, as well as Nana, were already over at their penthouse.

As Enjolras' parents walked out of the room, Enjolras wrapped an arm around Grantaire's waist. "Ready for the next chapter, my love." Enjolras said, pressing a kiss to his temple.

Grantaire, who had been staring after the retreating forms of their children and their grandparents, turned to his husband and said. "Yes, my darling husband, I am."

"Good." Enjolras smiled before kissing him.

"Let's go." Grantaire laced his hand with Enjolras'.

They walked to the entrance of the room and Enjolras turned the light off. After closing the door, they kissed again before heading off to enjoy their wedding night and taking the first steps to another chapter of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end!
> 
> COMING SOON: A missing scene/sequel (of sorts) one-shot collection! You can see some of the details of the future of this family down below.
> 
> COMING SOON: A prequel one-shot collection! This will detail how Enjolras and Grantaire’s relationship started and all the ups and downs that occurred during their high school years.
> 
> COMING SOON: An alternate story about how it would have changed if Grantaire would have told Enjolras about being pregnant with Casey.
> 
> You can read more details about the expansion of this specific world [here.](https://thechiefandhiscynic.blogspot.com/2020/04/early-morning-quarantine-update.html) I am expected to write more for this world because I’m not ready to say an official goodbye to this version of Enjolras and Grantaire, as well as Casey. But please, do not expect any of these stories until about 2022 or later with the MISSING SCENE collection coming first.
> 
> The future of the Enjolras-Grantaire family (as mentioned above):
> 
> 1) Doesn’t happen in the future and won’t be in the missing scene collection (thought it will probably be mentioned), during the summer of 2020, Enjolras and Grantaire sit Casey down and give him The Talk. They explain how he and Ezra came to be and everything regarding sexuality, gender, and sex. They make it their mission to make sure that their children feel comfortable being who they are and that they have a very good understanding of sex education (because U.S. schools are incredibly shitty at teaching sex ed).
> 
> 2) Casey grows up to be asexual and homoromantic. In high school, Casey is very much a bookworm. Due to the trauma of the fear of being taken from his parents (a fear that stays for most of his life), he never leaves NYC, and instead moves into an apartment that is two blocks from Enjolras’s and Grantaire's. He eventually becomes a successful NYT bestselling author of YA own voice novels that feature a cast of diverse characters. Casey eventually marries a young kindergarten teacher named Luc, and eventually they adopt a young blind girl (the ethnic race of said girl, I will leave ambigous, so the readers can decide for themselves.)
> 
> 3) Ezra grows up to be bisexual. Unlike Casey, who didn't go through the terrible two stage, Ezra does and is definitely a handful for his parents. Casey is always the protector of Ezra, which drives his little brother nuts sometimes, but he also adores his older brother and they are quite close. Ezra was also a big athelete in high school, playing baseball (his favorite sport) and basketball. Enjolras, Grantaire, and Casey never miss a game of his. Ezra eventually does leave NYC, and decides to take a gap year to travel around Europe. While living in Madrid, he meets and falls in love with a talented and handsome musician that goes by the name of Angel. They never marry or have children, choosing to live out their days as life partners and traveling the world, but eventually settle down in a lakeside cabin in upstate New York.
> 
> 4) Enjolras and Grantaire live in NYC for the rest of their lives. Enjolras stays being a high school teacher. Grantaire becomes quite the successful artist and under Mr. Landry's mentorship, eventually opens a gallery of his own. They love their children with all their hearts and are very supportive of them. They read every book that Casey ever writes and the postcards that Ezra sends from his travels never leave their refrigerator. They are totally the parents that will stop anybody and everybody to gush about their children.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story! And I hope you come back for the alternate story and missing scene/sequel one-shot collection! Thank you, once again!
> 
> One last thing, PLEASE go listen to "Safe with Me" by The CO, it's such a beautiful song. I like to imagine this song as the song that Enjolras would sing softly in Grantaire's ear after he suffered abuse from his parents. Now, I realize the song wasn't released until 2013, but for the sake of the fic, let's pretend it was released earlier. You can listen to it [here.](https://youtu.be/azeJr1CX_Hw)
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome, in fact, they are encouraged. :) No flames, though, please.
> 
> Blog: [The Chief and His Cynic](https://thechiefandhiscynic.blogspot.com/)  
> Tumblr: [ilovemybarricadebabies](https://ilovemybarricadebabies.tumblr.com/)


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